What does it mean if your mammogram showed density?
Breast density is a term that describes the relative amount of these different types of breast tissue as seen on a mammogram. Dense breasts have relatively high amounts of glandular tissue and fibrous connective tissue and relatively low amounts of fatty breast tissue.
Can mammograms detect breast cancer in dense breasts?
Dense breast tissue makes it more difficult to interpret a mammogram, since cancer and dense breast tissue both appear white on a mammogram. Very dense breasts may increase the risk that cancer won’t be detected on a mammogram.
Can dense breast tissue be mistaken for cancer?
The more dense your breast tissue is, the harder it is to see cancer on a mammogram image. That’s because dense tissue looks white onscreen, just like cancer does. Having dense breasts may slightly increase your risk for breast cancer.
How does breast density affect a mammogram?
Dense breast tissue appears white on a mammogram, as do some abnormal breast changes, such as calcifications and tumors. This can make a mammogram harder to read and may make it more difficult to find breast cancer in women with dense breasts. Women with dense breasts may be called back for follow-up tests more often than women with fatty breasts.
Why does breast density matter when it comes to mammography?
Dense breasts make it harder for doctors to see breast cancers on mammograms. This increases the risk that cancers will be missed. Women with dense breasts have a higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who don’t have dense breasts. The greater the amount of dense tissue, the higher the risk.
Does breast density affect mammogram results?
Breast density also impacts interpretation of mammograms and the risk of developing breast cancer. Data show that the sensitivity for breast cancer detection is inversely related to density. It is as high as 98% in fatty breasts (category A) and 50-65% in dense breasts (category D).
What is the risk of cancer in breast density?
Some studies have shown that women with extremely dense breasts have a four to six times greater risk of developing breast cancer than women with mostly fatty breasts. The cancer appears to develop in areas where the breast is dense. This suggests a causative relationship. The exact connection is unknown, though.