It’s possible you’ll be reading breast cancer screening guidelines and see that 3D mammography is often really useful for dense breast tissue. Or perhaps you simply had your first mammogram and your results indicate that you could have dense breast tissue. Either way, now you are wondering: what is dense breast tissue? Are thick breasts normal?
Yes, dense breast tissue is normal. It is also quite common – about half of ladies have thick breasts. And unfortunately, dense breast tissue is a risk factor for breast cancer.
Below we explain what it means to have dense breasts, why it may barely increase your risk of breast cancer, and what to do about it.
What is “dense breast tissue”?
There are various kinds of tissue in your breasts. Dense breast tissue has more cells than non-dense breast tissue in the identical amount of space.
Here’s a more in-depth take a look at each kind of tissue your breasts are fabricated from, and if it’s considered dense:
- Fat tissue – Any such tissue is not dense and fills your breasts, making them soft.
- Fibrous-glandular tissue Glandular tissues are chargeable for milk production, and fibrous connective tissue holds each adipose and glandular tissue in place. Together they’re called fibro-glandular tissue and considered dense tissue.
Along with being a kind of tissue in your breasts, dense breast tissue is often used to explain the looks of dense breasts on a mammogram. Breast density is based on the quantity of fibroglandular tissue in comparison with the quantity of adipose tissue.
If you could have plenty of fibroglandular tissue, your breasts are considered dense. The breast density is determined by the radiologist. Radiologists are medical doctors specially trained in medical imaging, making them experts at reading mammogram images
Breast density categories
Doctors categorize breast tissue density based on Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS®) developed by the American College of Radiology. These categories are based on the share of glandular or fibrous connective tissue they see in your breasts and are frequently listed as AD.
Breast density category | How much fibrous tissue? | What number of women have them? | Considered dense? |
---|---|---|---|
Category A Almost completely greasy |
<25% | 10% | NO |
B category Scattered areas of fibroglandular density |
25-50% | 40% | NO |
Category C Heterogeneously dense, which can obscure small masses |
51-75% | 40% | Yes |
Category D Extremely dense, which reduces the sensitivity of mammography. |
>75% | 10% | Yes |
Causes of dense breast tissue
There are particular aspects that could make you roughly prone to have dense breasts. Your risk aspects might also change over time.
Explanation why you usually tend to have dense breast tissue
- Genetics – Dense breast tissue is often hereditary. So if you could have thick breasts, it’s very likely that you could have a mother or sister who has them too.
- Low body mass index – Individuals who have a lower percentage of body fat usually tend to have dense breasts.
- Postmenopausal hormone alternative therapy (HRT) While some research shows that hormone alternative therapy may increase your possibilities of dense breasts and breast cancer risk, the info is conflicting and no specific increase has been proven. So it’s best to confer with your doctor or clinician concerning the risks and advantages of HRT.
- You’re pre-menopausal – In case you are under 50 and haven’t undergone menopause, you usually tend to have dense breasts. As many as 75% of ladies aged 40-49 have dense breasts.
Can breast density be reduced?
While certain aspects may increase the likelihood that you’ll have dense breasts, there is really nothing you possibly can do to vary the density of your breasts. For instance, you possibly can’t lower breast density by changing what you eat or increasing your exercise.
Are there any symptoms of dense breasts?
No, there aren’t any symptoms of dense breasts. Dense breasts don’t look any different from the surface – they do not have a unique shape or are greater or smaller than other breasts.
In actual fact, you most likely won’t know if you could have dense breasts until you could have a mammogram – sometimes dense breasts are literally called “mammographic dense breasts”.
How doctors use mammography to find out breast density
Mammography uses X-ray technology to take pictures of the inside the breast. Depending on the kind of mammography, 2D or 3D images are created and reviewed by a radiologist. As we mentioned earlier, a radiologist is a health care provider with special training in medical imaging.
Mammograms will show the inside the breast in a mix of white and grey, like other forms of x-rays. Dense breast tissue has a white background, while less dense breast tissue is grey.
Using their expertise, the radiologist will typically list the tissue density within the mammogram results. For instance, in Minnesota, all mammography providers are legally required to report breast density to patients with dense breasts.
Why breast density matters
There are two important reasons to care about breast tissue density.
1. Dense breast tissue has a rather higher risk of developing cancer cells
For most girls, breast density is not a serious risk factor for breast cancer. But since it’s not a risk factor that may be modified, it’s still vital to pay attention to it.
If you could have non-uniformly dense breasts, which is “Category C” on the BI-RADS® scale we mentioned earlier, your risk of breast cancer is 1.2 times higher than normal. If you could have extremely dense breasts, or ‘Category D’, your risk of breast cancer doubles. But it’s vital to know that while this increased risk could appear relatively high, the actual risk of breast cancer in women with extremely dense breasts is still low.
It is also vital to keep in mind that breast density is not the one factor affecting breast cancer risk. Other risk aspects reminiscent of age, family history, early menstruation, eating regimen, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity, chest radiotherapy and hormone alternative therapy might also increase the danger.
2. Cancer could also be harder to detect in dense breasts
Dense breast tissue could make it difficult to discover cancer with a mammogram and could also be related to a small increase in breast cancer risk.
As we mentioned earlier, dense breast tissue has a white background on a mammogram. Cancer shows up as a white spot or white dots on a mammogram. So finding those white spots or white dots may be tougher on a white background than on a gray background.
And although mammography could also be somewhat tougher to identify cancer in dense breasts, regular mammograms are still really useful for girls with dense breasts. Your primary care physician or clinician, obstetrician-gynecologist or other women’s health specialist can provide help to determine when and how often you need to be screened based in your individual risk aspects.
Discover if you could have dense breasts (and get tested for breast cancer)
Breast density matters because it can increase your risk of breast cancer. Getting a mammogram is one of the best option to know the density of your breast tissue.
In case you’re over 40 and have not had a mammogram, confer with your doctor about when it is best to start – the annual preventive visit is an excellent time to bring this up. If you could have a physical appointment, schedule your preventive appointment now.
In fact, for those who’re ready for a mammogram, you do not have to attend. Most mammograms are preventive screenings for girls covered by insurance. But coverage will depend on your specific plan. So it’s a very good idea to examine how tests and screenings are covered before scheduling an appointment.