AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO026200222
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COMMENTARY

Medico-legal implications of off-label iodinated contrast media use in contrast-enhanced mammography: Between regulatory status and emerging clinical evidence

Graziella Di Grezia1* Teresa Iannaccone2 Leopoldo Ferrante3 Giovanni Castaldo3 Mariano Scaglione4
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1 Department of Life Sciences, Health and Healthcare Professions, Link Campus University, Rome, Italy
2 Independent researcher, Avellino, Italy
3 Department of Economics, Law, Cybersecurity and Sports Sciences, University of Naples Parthenope, Nola, Italy
4 Radiology Department of Surgery, Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Received: 16 May 2026 | Revised: 30 June 2026 | Accepted: 1 July 2026 | Published online: 10 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) has emerged as a high-performance diagnostic tool, showing comparable accuracy to breast magnetic resonance imaging. However, a clinical-regulatory gap persists: although international guidelines increasingly support CEM, most iodinated contrast agents used for CEM may lack product-specific regulatory approval for breast imaging applications in certain jurisdictions; their use in those settings is therefore off-label. This commentary explores the medico-legal implications of this discrepancy, emphasizing the necessity of rigorous clinical protocols, enhanced informed consent, and institutional governance. Rather than proposing ready-to-use operational documents applicable in all jurisdictions, the manuscript outlines the essential elements that should be incorporated into standardized safety pathways and dedicated informed consent procedures to support risk management and medico-legal compliance. By integrating current clinical evidence—including the RACER trial—with ethical and legal considerations, this commentary proposes a practice-oriented medico-legal framework that may assist institutions in developing jurisdiction-specific protocols for the safe implementation of CEM. The adoption of CEM as an increasingly evidence-supported imaging technique should therefore be accompanied by appropriate regulatory awareness, explicit informed consent, and standardized institutional procedures.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Contrast-enhanced mammography
Iodinated contrast media
Off-label use
Medico-legal implications
Patient safety
Informed consent
Breast cancer diagnosis
Clinical governance
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
Graziella Di Grezia is an Editorial Board Member of this journal, but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing