Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is a cost-effective alternative to MRI for patients with breast cancer and could save facilities potentially tens of thousands of dollars every year.
Experts from the University of Dundee and King’s College London, both in the United Kingdom, recently compared the costs of the two modalities for loco-regional breast cancer staging. They found that by switching from a preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) exam to CESM, large facilities could save between £64,069 to £81,570—in the U.S, this translates to a cost savings ranging from $68,772.31 to $87,558.05.
Co-authors of the new Clinical Radiology paper S.L. Savaridas and H. Jin suggest that these findings indicate a potential role for CESM given the known barriers to accessing breast MRI.
“Unfortunately, due to pressures on clinical services, it can be difficult to access MRI in a timely manner. An increasing body of evidence suggests that CESM may offer an alternative to MRI,” the authors wrote.
Savaridas and Jin pointed to prior research indicating that not only is CESM comparable to CE-MRI in accuracy, but some studies have even found it to perform better.
The switch could also save smaller institutions a significant amount of money. According to their data, small health boards would save between £6,453 to £23,953, or $6,926.71 to $25,711.39 in the U.S., annually.
“This presents an unusual but very positive scenario, whereby the health service can save money whilst providing a service with equivalent accuracy and preferred by the majority of patients,” the authors noted.
It should be mentioned that these figures are based on exam volumes and whether an existing mammography machine can be upgraded to CESM. More exams equate to more savings, as does an upgrade of equipment, rather than replacing a mammography unit with a newer CESM-enabled unit.
The authors noted that these findings are consistent with available American data on the topic and that the switch would result in savings in both regions, though they would vary based on the private and public healthcare systems in place.
The study abstract is available here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.