The study by Pennsylvania researcher Wendy Bruening analyzed data from six studies that screened 1,920 women with a strong family history of breast cancer. They ranged in age from 38 to 46, and were evaluated by MRI, mammography, ultrasound and breast examinations every year.

The team found that, when magnetic resonance imaging and mammography were combined, there were 2.7 times more true positives than when mammography was used alone. When MRI was used alone, it was 2.3 times more likely to detect a malignancy than mammography alone.

The problem was that, for every 10 additional cancers found, an additional 16 false positives occurred, but Bruening thought this problem was acceptable for a high-risk population.

"These women may be willing to go through additional unnecessary testing," Bruening said. "In high-risk women, the cancer can be more aggressive, so you want to detect it as soon as possible."

A spokesperson from the American College of Radiology, recommended that MRI be used in addition to, not in place of, regular mammography, since some cancers visible on mammography are not picked up by MRI.