Breast Cancer Clinical Trial Awarded Inaugural Siteman Grant

A clinical trial to improve breast cancer detection and outcomes for women with dense breast tissue received an inaugural Siteman Cancer Center Catchment Prevention and Control Trial Grant. The $100,000-per-year funding opportunity supports new or ongoing prevention and control-based interventional trials targeting health disparities, focusing on cancer burden and social health determinants. Each trial will work with at least one health system partner in Siteman’s catchment area; the system partners for this cycle are Christian Hospital, Memorial Hospital Shiloh, Phelps Health and Alton Memorial Hospital.

The Precision Supplemental Imaging in Dense Breasts Trial is co-led by WashU Medicine investigators Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery, and Tabassum Ahmad, MD, associate professor of radiology and breast imaging MRI service director for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology. They aim to determine the optimal use of supplemental imaging in patients with dense breast tissue — which is more challenging to detect problem areas in imaging — by evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of MRI as an additional screening tool.

This trial will enroll middle-aged women with dense breasts and a five-year breast cancer risk greater than 3%, with aims to achieve a 75% MRI screening completion rate, surpassing the 60% rate reported in prior European studies. By focusing on enhanced MRI screening, Colditz and Ahmad seek to demonstrate that superior adherence to MRI recommendations can significantly improve early detection and ultimately reduce the risk of advanced breast cancer.