Breast Density and the Efficacy of Secondary Screening.
The topic of density in relation to breasts has become a major issue of discussion as of late. Dense breast tissue refers to the breast
tissue appearing on a mammogram. When a patient is told their breasts are dense this means that additional screening options may be appropriate as cancerous masses can hide behind the tissue. Masses appear white in color on a screening, or hyperechoic.
Breast tissue results in the same imagery, so imagine looking for a snowball within a blizzard. Malignant tumors can be
masked in these situations; resulting in a mammogram with a negative finding, hence the recommendation for adjunct screening.
Roughly 40% of women have dense breasts. Breast density is one of the strongest risk factors associated with breast cancer. It is a highly
established predictor of cancer risk and a mammogram misses every other cancer in dense breasts.
The question arises as to what this means if a patient is
considered to have heterogeneously dense breasts. The awareness of density and its ability to mask abnormalities in a mammogram has prompted many states to require physicians to “notify” patients if they have dense breasts and to recommend getting adjunct screenings.
Universal density reporting will prevent later stage cancers and give ALL women access to an EARLY diagnosis – when most treatable
and with better survival outcomes. Computerized tomography data show a statistically significant increase in the detection of small, early and invasive cancers invisible by mammogram.
Radiol Open J. 2020; 4(1): 21-22. doi: 10.17140/ROJ-4-127