Sometimes, doctors will want to use supplemental testing if their patients have especially dense breasts that could obscure cancerous cells. This results in a negative mammogram result, fooling patients into believing nothing was amiss. While screening mammography effectively detects up to 98 percent of cancer in fatty breasts, breast cancer is more easily missed in dense breasts. In the BI-RADS report, the radiologist also includes a score for breast density on a scale from A through D: A meaning mostly fatty tissue, B meaning Scattered fibroglandular densities, C meaning Heterogeneously dense, and D meaning Extremely dense.īut the mammogram is not fool-proof. The most widely-used mammogram method in the US is the Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BI-RADS), which uses an assessment scale from one through six to indicate whether there were no unusual findings in the scan or, if something was found, whether it was more likely benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancerous). The only way to measure breast density is through a mammogram. Women should start undergoing mammograms, or low-dose x-rays of the breast that help find cancer at an early stage, as early as age 45, according to the American Cancer Society. They suspect that cancerous cells are more likely to grow in glandular tissue. While dense breasts are linked to a higher risk of developing cancer, scientists still do not know exactly why. That tissue appears white on X-rays, the same color as growths in the breast, making mammograms harder to read. Women with very dense breasts are four times more prone to getting breast cancer than women with the lowest breast densities, yet relative few understands the influence that breast density has on their risk of developing cancer, according to research out in January.Ībout half of women over age 40 have dense breasts, with less fatty tissue and more connective and glandular tissue. Professional guidelines don´t specify next steps for women identified with dense breasts, but some physicians may recommend additional forms of scanning, including ultrasound or MRI. Their doctor may think more testing is needed. Under the new rules, women with dense breasts will receive a written memo alerting them that their status "makes it harder to find breast cancer." Those patients will also be directed to speak with their doctor about their results. Not all of them require providers to notify a woman if she herself has dense breasts. Only 38 states and the District of Columbia require health providers to give patients some explanation of breast density and its bearing on cancer risk after a mammogram, though the exact language varies by state. women getting mammograms will soon receive information about their breast density, which can sometimes make cancer harder to spot, under government rules finalized Thursday, March 9, 2023. FILE - A radiologist uses a magnifying glass to check mammograms for breast cancer in Los Angeles, May 6, 2010.
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