\nHaving dense breasts is already a recognized risk factor for breast cancer, but a new study showed breast density\u2014and risk\u2014is nuanced.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nDense breasts are composed of a higher amount of fibrous or glandular tissue compared to fatty tissue, which creates more white areas on a mammogram image\u2014the same color as tumors.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nAccording to Debbie Bennett, MD, section chief of breast imaging at Washington University in St. Louis, and one of the new study\u2019s co-authors, most women don\u2019t start getting mammograms until age 40, the recommended age to start regular screening for breast cancer in most people. For this reason, experts don\u2019t know much about breast density before then. \n<\/p>\n \nWhat is known is that breasts naturally lose density after menopause, but the rate at which that happens is different for everyone.<\/span> The new study also revealed that a person\u2019s breasts may lose density at different rates\u2014which could change the way risk is understood.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cTypically when we talk about having dense breast tissue and that being a risk factor for developing risk cancer, we\u2019re talking about both breasts together. But what we found is you can see differences in how density changes over time in the breasts individually,\u201d Dr. Bennett explained.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Getty Images \/ pixelfit<\/p>\n <\/span> Breast Cancer Symptoms <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nThe new study included almost 1,000 women who had mammograms every one to two years for up to 10 years. About 15% were Black women, who are more likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer at later stages.<\/span> The average age of people in the study was 57.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nDuring the length of the study, there were 289 cases of breast cancer. The authors noted that although breast density decreased significantly in everyone, the rate at which density decreased was much slower in women who developed cancer.\n<\/p>\n \nThe researchers concluded that the slower breasts are to lose density, the longer the person has an elevated risk for breast cancer. They also found something more novel: That density between breasts may be different, too. The study found that if one breast was losing density less quickly than the other, that breast was more likely to develop cancer.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThe National Cancer Institute estimates that around 50% of women have dense breasts.<\/span> Understanding how density changes not only between people, but individual breasts, could help radiologists and oncologists catch breast cancer in its early stages\u2014when it\u2019s easier to treat.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cYou can potentially flag that something is wrong before it shows up on a mammogram if one of the breasts is not losing density as quickly as the other,\u201d Dr. Bennett noted.\n<\/p>\n \nStill, it\u2019s unknown why this may occur, she added. There\u2019s also no rule of thumb for how quickly breast density should wane, and many factors, including lactation, pregnancy, hormone therapies, and rapid weight changes can temporarily influence breast density.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cBreast density is a risk factor and this is yet another piece that supports that. The longer you have dense breasts, the higher risk you have,\u201d Jessica W.T. Leung, MD, professor and deputy chair of breast imaging at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas told Health<\/em>. \u201cBut, of course, there are many considerations.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nAccording to Dr. Leung, who was not involved with the new study, all mammogram readings are subjective, since people are reading the scans and making a judgment call about whether or not the tissue is dense.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nMammograms are still very effective screening tools and since the cost to operate mammography equipment is lower than other scans that could potentially be used, such as MRIs, mammograms remain the most important school in routine breast cancer screening.\n<\/p>\n \nMammogram technology in the United States is almost exclusively digital, which provides a more clear image\u2014a type of imaging called tomosynthesis, which combines many different images to create a nearly three-dimensional image.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nHowever, having more nuanced information about breast density could help physicians determine which patients may benefit from supplemental screening, usually an ultrasound.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt\u2019s not that breast mammography is going to go away, or that it doesn\u2019t work in dense breasts,\u201d Dr. Leung clarified. \u201cIt\u2019s been proven to save lives and it\u2019s cost-effective. But now we want to determine which women would benefit from supplemental tests.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe finding also challenges the way physicians read mammograms.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe look at all past mammograms to compare, but what our eyes are looking for is anything that shows up that is new,\u201d Dr. Bennett concluded. \u201cWe should also look for things that are not disappearing at the rate we\u2019d expect them to.\u201d\n<\/p>\n 8 Things to Know About Breast Cancer Screening With Implants<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new study found that breasts do not always lose density\u2014a common occurrence for postmenopausal women\u2014at the same rate. Differences in breast density loss can provide a red flag that prompts individuals to schedule a checkup with their healthcare provider. If you\u2019re unsure about whether or not you have dense breasts, speak to a healthcare […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[917,410],"tags":[918,116],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17195"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/thmb\/VLwRhq7tOX-fm7IVddRhZslMqO4=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/GettyImages-1094357914-1664995b7d604c78b5303e7925b229a2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Density Changes Between Individual Breasts <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Additional Screening Recommendations <\/span> <\/h2>\n