New Delhi: 21st January, 2026: Apollo Athenaa Women’s Cancer Centre is leading a shift
towards earlier and more accurate breast cancer diagnosis through MRI-Guided Vacuum-
Assisted Breast Biopsy (MRI-Guided VABB). This specialised, expertise-led, minimally
invasive diagnostic technique allows doctors to identify and confirm breast cancer at early
stage often at Stage 0 and Stage 1, when it is still small, symptom-free, and highly treatable.
Studies indicate 10-20% cancers can be missed on mammograms and this number can
further increase in dense breast. These undetected cancers often continue to grow silently
without a lump, without symptoms, and beyond the reach of conventional screening tools.
This challenge is especially significant in India, where younger women are increasingly being
diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer often nearly a decade earlier than women in
Western countries. Unfortunately, many of these cancers are still detected at advanced
stages, when treatment becomes more aggressive, less effective with poorer outcomes.
Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “At Apollo
Athenaa, Asia’s first dedicated Women’s Cancer Centre, the launch of advanced MRI-Guided
Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy (MRI-Guided VABB) marks a transformative leap in women’s
cancer care. This initiative strengthens the entire breast diagnostic pathway with greater
precision, speed and clinical confidence, helping detect breast cancer earlier and enabling
timely, minimally invasive intervention. Above all, it reflects our commitment to give every
woman the best chance for excellent outcomes, greater reassurance, and the ability to
move forward with confidence and dignity.”
Using high-resolution MRI systems supported by latest AI-based protocols, Apollo Athenaa
has also reduced breast MRI scan time from nearly 50 minutes to less than 15 minutes,
without compromising image quality or diagnostic confidence so that more females with
dense breasts or high risk can undergo screening with breast MRI, the most sensitive
technique to pick any breast abnormality.
A large Indian study involving 2,470 breast cancer patients revealed that 14.3% were
younger than 40 years. Alarmingly, nearly 70% of these younger women presented with
advanced Stage III or IV disease, and 45.7% were diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast
Cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype known for poorer outcomes.
“Early detection saves lives,” said Dr. Jyoti Arora, Senior Consultant and Lead, Department
of Breast Radiology, Apollo Athenaa Women’s Cancer Centre, one of the most experienced
clinicians in the country in MRI-Guided Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy, having performed
over 600 VABB procedures over the course of her career.
“Young women often have dense breasts, which makes cancer harder to detect through
routine screening. These cancers also tend to be more aggressive. What worsens outcomes,
however, is delayed diagnosis. MRI-Guided VABB enables us to detect and confirm breast
cancer- often at Stage 0 – before it becomes life-altering.”
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Indian women, accounting for
nearly 27–28% of all female cancers (ICMR–NCDIR), and the burden is expected to rise
sharply. By 2050, India is projected to see a 170.5% increase in new breast cancer cases and
a 200.5% rise in deaths, with a growing incidence among younger women underscoring the
urgent need for more effective and accurate pathways to diagnose cancers early. While
mammography remains an important tool, its effectiveness is significantly reduced in
women with dense breast tissue, which is common among younger women.
The impact of this approach is already evident. A 70-year-old woman recently presented
with bloody nipple discharge, a known warning sign of early breast cancer. Yet her
mammogram and ultrasound were completely normal. In many such cases, patients are
advised observation and asked to return after six months, risking progression of a
potentially malignant lesion. Instead, at Apollo Athenaa, she underwent ‘MRI-Guided VABB’,
which revealed Stage 0 breast cancer (DCIS) a cancer invisible to conventional tests. She
received timely surgery at the earliest possible stage, with excellent prognosis.
“This is what true early detection looks like,” Dr. Arora added.
“Without MRI-Guided VABB, this cancer could have progressed silently. With it, we were
able to intervene before it changed her life.”
