Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Helen Elliott, Dr Joy AllenORCiD, Dr Nerys Forester, Dr Sara Graziadio, Dr Will Jones, Dr Clare Lendrem, Professor Mark PearceORCiD, Tim Powell, Dr Alison Bray, Dr Jason Scott
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. 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.
Author(s): Elliott H, Allen AJ, Forester ND, Graziadio S, Jones WS, Lendrem C, Pearce M, Powell T, Bray A, Scott J
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMJ Open
Year: 2026
Volume: 16
Issue: 6
Online publication date: 03/06/2026
Acceptance date: 29/04/2026
Date deposited: 24/06/2026
ISSN (print): 2044-6055
ISSN (electronic): 2044-6055
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-113676
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-113676
Data Access Statement: Data are available upon reasonable request.
PubMed id: 42236092
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
