The problem when you have dense breasts

Having dense breasts makes it more difficult for doctors to detect breast cancer on regular mammograms. — TNS

Women are being encouraged to get their annual breast cancer screening and for good reason – screening can save lives.

But what if your mammogram shows that you have dense breasts?

Dr Christine Klassen, a Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic physician in the United States, has more on what it means to have dense breasts.

Starting at age 40, women are encouraged to get their annual mammograms.

Sometimes, you may get an unexpected result, like being told you have dense breasts.

“Breast density is a radiologic term, and it’s specifically referring to how the breast tissue appears on a mammogram,” says Dr Klassen.

The breast tissue is made up of fibrous tissue, glandular tissue and fatty tissue.

Dr Klassen says dense breasts may make screening more difficult.

“The dense breast tissue on a mammogram is when we see a lot of that glandular and supportive tissue, and not so much of the fatty tissues.”

Breast density is assigned one of four levels: A, B, C and D, which is extremely dense.

“The higher-density group has about four times the risk of a cancer, compared to the lower-density group,” she says.

While annual mammograms remain an important screening tool, Dr Klassen says additional testing may help for those with dense breasts.

“We do think that there’s some benefit to getting the 3D mammogram, or the mammogram with tomosynthesis, which helps radiologists scan through the field of the breast and get a better sense for what’s a true mass,” she says. – By Deb Balzer/Mayo Clinic News Network/Tribune News Service