Dense breasts what does that mean

Dense breast tissue refers to the appearance of breast tissue on a mammogram. It's a normal and common finding. Breast tissue is composed of milk glands, milk ducts and supportive tissue. These elements make up the dense tissue in the breast. Breasts also include fatty tissue, which is nondense tissue. When viewed on a mammogram, women with dense breasts have more dense tissue than fatty tissue. On a mammogram, nondense breast tissue appears dark and transparent.

Dense breast tissue appears as a solid white area on a mammogram, which makes it difficult to see through. The radiologist who analyzes your mammogram determines the ratio of nondense tissue to dense tissue and assigns a level of breast density. Levels of density are described using a results reporting system called Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System, as provided by the American College of Radiology.

About half of women undergoing mammograms have dense breasts. It's not clear why some women have a lot of dense breast tissue and others do not. You may be more likely to have dense breasts if you:.

Having dense breast tissue will not affect your daily life. However, it increases the chance that breast cancer may go undetected by a mammogram, since dense breast tissue can mask a potential cancer.

It also increases your risk of breast cancer, though we aren't certain why yet. Most medical organizations recommend women with an average risk of breast cancer consider regular mammogram testing beginning at age 40 and consider repeating the screening annually.

Women with dense breasts, but no other risk factors for breast cancer, are considered to have a higher risk of breast cancer than average. Dense breast tissue makes it more difficult to interpret a mammogram, since cancer and dense breast tissue both appear white on a mammogram. Very dense breasts may increase the risk that cancer won't be detected on a mammogram. Despite concerns about detecting cancer in dense breasts, mammograms are still effective screening tools.

The most common type of mammogram — digital mammogram — saves images of your breasts as digital files instead of film and allows for more detailed analysis. This is more effective at finding cancer in dense breast tissue than older film mammogram technology. While fatty tissue appears dark on a mammogram, dense tissue appears white. For about half of women, screening mammograms reveal they have breast tissue that is categorized as dense. Breast density is one piece of the puzzle in thinking about your breast health and breast cancer screening plan.

BI-RADS uses an assessment scale from 1 through 6 to indicate whether there were no unusual findings or, if something was found, whether it was more likely benign not cancer or malignant cancerous. The report will also give a recommendation for routine screening or indicate what follow-up tests may be needed. A Mostly fatty: The breasts are made up of mostly fatty tissue and contain very little fibrous and glandular tissue.

B Scattered fibroglandular densities: The breasts are mostly fatty tissue, but there are a few areas of fibrous and glandular tissue visible on the mammogram. C Heterogeneously dense: A mammogram shows many areas of fibrous and glandular tissue. D Extremely dense: The breasts have large amounts of fibrous and glandular tissue. Women with a score of C or D are classified as having dense breasts. The radiologist makes the classification, so it often requires a judgment call — and studies suggest that two radiologists may classify the same woman differently.

This has been changing over the past decade or so. Dense breasts make it harder for radiologists to detect breast cancers when they read a mammogram. Cancers typically show up as small white spots or masses on a mammogram. Dense breast tissue also appears white on a mammogram. The organization DenseBreast-info. Mammograms can miss about half of cancers in women with dense breasts.

Apart from hiding cancers on mammograms, dense breast tissue itself is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Cancers develop in glandular tissue: the more glandular tissue there is, the greater the risk. Fibrous tissue may also produce growth factors that cause glandular tissue cells to divide and reproduce more than cells in fatty tissue do. Generally, the greater the amount of dense breast tissue you have, the higher your risk of breast cancer.

For women who have heterogeneously dense breasts category C , the risk of cancer is about 1. If you have dense breasts, you and your doctor can discuss your individual risk level based on the amount of dense tissue you have. You also should review any family history of breast cancer and other cancers. In the United States, 37 states and Washington, D. In , the U.

Food and Drug Administration FDA began to develop a single national reporting standard imaging centers can use to notify both the woman and her doctor about her breast density. Federal law requires that all women receive a letter notifying them about the results of their mammogram.

In most states, this form letter now also tells you if you have dense breasts, and, in some states, your specific density category. However, the content of the letter varies widely by state and may not include specific details about your situation.

Most of the letters will advise you to discuss your results with your doctor. Your breast density is also included in the final mammography report to your healthcare provider, prepared by the radiologist who read the images. If you live outside the United States, you may or may not be notified about your breast density, depending on the regulations in your country. Whether or not you are notified about breast density after your mammogram, you can ask the doctor who ordered your imaging for a copy of your full report.

Read it over and look for information about breast density. The report also may include the letter rating from A through D, with a result of C or D meaning you have dense breasts. Breast density is thought to be inherited in part, although the amount of dense breast tissue you have can change over time. Breast density can decrease as you go through menopause. Mammograms don't always reveal cancers that may be present in dense breasts.

Small cancers can be hidden by dense tissue, since both appear white on a mammogram. Dense breast tissue and tumors both show up white. Fatty breast tissue shows up as gray and black. Keep in mind that studies define increased risk by comparing women with the highest breast density to women with the lowest density.

Dense breasts are a common finding in many mammograms. If you want to read the latest research and recommendations, the nonprofit organization Are You Dense? Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue refers to the density and composition of your breast tissue. Forty percent of women have this type of breast…. Though breast asymmetry is a common characteristic for women, significant change can indicate cancer.

Here's how to interpret your mammogram results. Mammograms can help your doctor identify breast cancer. Check out our image gallery and learn more about mammograms. Found a lump or unusual spot on your breast during a self-exam? Here's what you need to know about what you should do next. Most women have one or more risk factors for breast cancer.

Knowing your risk factors can help you make the right choices when it comes to your health. My breast cancer diagnosis taught me to protect my energy so I can enjoy time doing what's really important — without the added stress.

Papillary breast cancer is a rare and slow-growing type of breast cancer. Learn about symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and more. Learn about the characteristics of metaplastic breast cancer along with causes and risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and more. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast that can detect tumors or abnormalities in the breast tissue.

Learn more about who should get one and how they…. Learn what researchers say about the link between deodorant and breast cancer. We'll also cover ingredients to avoid and tips to manage excessive…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Breast Cancer. Other risk factors include: age, as most breast cancers are diagnosed after age 50 smoking having diabetes or obesity a family history of breast cancer certain genes , such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 exposure to hormones for longer periods of time, such as starting menstrual periods before age 12 and later menopause after age 55 using hormonal birth control or hormone therapy after menopause not having given birth having had ovarian or uterine cancer having had benign breast conditions such as hyperplasia , complex fibroadenoma , and papillomatosis undergoing radiation therapy for other conditions before age 30 Read on to understand how dense breast tissue is diagnosed and how it relates to the risk of breast cancer.

What does it mean to have dense breast tissue? How do dense breasts affect your risk for cancer? What causes dense breasts? How are dense breasts detected? BI-RADS composition category Breast tissue description Ability to detect cancer A: mostly fatty mostly fatty tissue, very few glandular and connective tissues cancer will likely show on scans B: scattered density mostly fatty tissue with few foci of connective and glandular tissue cancer will likely show on scans C: consistent density even amounts of fatty, connective, and glandular tissue throughout the breast smaller cancer foci are difficult to see D: extremely dense significant amount of connective and glandular tissue cancer may blend in with tissue and be difficult to detect.

How you can prevent or lower your risk of cancer. Formulate a screening plan with your doctor.