Is molecular breast imaging suitable for use in UK breast cancer pathways? A qualitative study exploring healthcare professionals’ perspectives

Objectives To explore healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the potential role of molecular breast imaging (MBI) for breast cancer imaging and to inform future clinical study design and implementation.

Design Qualitative interview study.

Setting UK National Health Service (NHS) breast screening and diagnostic pathways.

Participants Purposively sampled stakeholders.

Method Semistructured interviews with key professional stakeholders explored potential MBI pathways and routes to adoption, including barriers and facilitators. Data were analysed thematically.

Results 22 participants were recruited between January 2020 and October 2021. Barriers to MBI adoption were identified at three levels: scan-related, system-level, and cultural within the screening programme. Overcoming these is likely necessary for implementation. A further theme highlighted the potential for MBI to improve screening in selected patient groups, contingent on addressing these barriers. Specifically, adoption would require advances in next-generation MBI systems, particularly reductions in radiation dose and scan time, alongside prospective clinical studies in UK populations to assess diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusions Once identified barriers are overcome, participants perceived that MBI could improve screening pathways, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.