Breast Cancer Density Provides Clues To Cancer Risk, Studies Show

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Article Date: 25 Jun 2010 - 4:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Several studies link higher breast density with a increased risk of breast cancer, but few public education or policy efforts focus on that aspect of breast cancer risk, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Women with extremely dense breasts can have a four-to six-times-higher breast cancer risk than women whose breasts are not dense, research shows. By comparison, family history of breast cancer typically doubles a woman's risk for the disease, the Times reports.

According to the Times, women's breast density is measured and recorded when they receive mammograms because denser breasts can make the screenings more difficult to interpret. Some health professionals contend that giving women information about their breast density would add to anxiety without providing a clinical benefit, since density is influenced by factors such as heredity, age and ethnicity that cannot be controlled. Furthermore, the measurements used in mammography are "rather imprecise and subjective," the Times reports.

However, some experts are arguing for increased disclosure. In 2009, Connecticut passed a law mandating the inclusion breast density information on women's mammography reports.

William Barlow, a senior biostatistician Seattle-based Cancer Research and Biostatstics, noted that most risk factors for breast cancer are out of a woman's control. "I think patients should be told as much information as possible -- recognizing they may not be able to use all of it," he said.

Knowledge of breast density could influence women's decisions about whether to have more screenings or choose an MRI, "which doesn't become harder to read in cases of dense breasts the way mammograms do," the Times reports. Women also could track how their density changes over time. Studies show that when a woman's breast density changes, her risk of breast cancer corresponds, according to the Times. The Times also suggests that breast density information could be a useful addition to the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (Ravn, Los Angeles Times, 6/21).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations