Coming to a Cleveland Clinic location?Hillcrest Cancer Center check-in changesCole Eye entrance closingVisitation, mask requirements and COVID-19 information, Notice of Intelligent Business Solutions data eventLearn more. However, even people with breasts that are mostly fatty can get breast cancer. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. This is because glandular tissue is more likely to develop cancer. How can I stop getting so many yeast infections? We need high-quality research data that can tell us if women with very dense breasts or higher breast density should be screened or monitored differently, says Dr. Rexrode. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. Lets stop using the term Ozempic face.. However, in women with extremely dense breasts, studies have shown mixed results as to whether 3D mammograms find more cancers than 2D mammograms. Shift work can harm sleep and health: What helps? Just how effective are antidepressants, anyway? Women with dense breasts have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends women get a mammogram every 12 years, starting at age 40, in order to detect possible breast cancer. Your radiologist may also want to obtain more images using a different method. You may be more likely to have dense breasts if you: Every test has pros and cons. Many factors can cause dense breast tissue, including 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. WebIf your overall risk for breast cancer is high, you may want to consider chemoprevention with tamoxifen, which can reduce breast density. It could increase your risk for breast cancer. According to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 43.3% of women ages 4074 years have dense breasts. All were participants in the Nurses' Health Study, which has followed more than 120,000 women for 35 years. WebDense breast tissue is commonly found during regular mammograms. The radiologist reading your mammogram is required to describe your degree of density. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Breast tomosynthesis is another option. Your breast exam was normal, great. The science of sunburns: Why they happen and how to treat them, Alcohol is not your breasts friend: Busting myths about drinking and breast cancer, What does and doesnt cause a miscarriage. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. Dense breasts: What do our patients need to be told and why? About 50% of women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) have dense breast tissue. Radiological Society of North America, RadiologyInfo.org. While each test is proved to find more breast cancers than a mammogram, none of these newer imaging tests is proved to reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer, as has been done with the standard film mammogram. Learn about symptoms and treatment. They're often easy to move around (mobile) and may be tender. Thanks for visiting. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. It is important that people are aware of the density of their breasts. You may be more likely to have dense breasts if you: Having dense breasts affects you in two ways: 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. ), Myth #5: There's nothing you can do to prevent sagging. Taking MHT slows this process. Extremely dense breast tissue is one factor that determines risk. What does it mean if I have dense breasts? You have a mix of dense and fatty tissue, but the majority is dense. If a recent mammogram showed you have dense breast tissue, you may wonder what this means for your breast cancer risk. Former Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch. Unfortunately, high breast density does increase a womans chance of breast cancer. COVID-19 vaccine: Should I reschedule my mammogram? "It is true that in general small breasts do sag a bit less than larger ones because there's less tissue pulling down," says Minkin. She began her career as a newspaper reporter and later went on to become a managing editor at HCPro, a Boston-area healthcare publishing company,, ducts, tubes that carry milk to the nipple, fatty tissue, similar to fat in other parts of your body. Your healthcare provider can talk to you about your options and what they recommend based on your risk for breast cancer and the results of your mammogram. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. areas of dense glandular tissue and fibrous connective tissue (called. Does dense breast tissue cause any other health problems? The more white areas the radiologist sees on the image, the denser your breast. NCIs Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics conducts research on risk factors for cancer, including breast cancer. Questions to consider asking your doctor or nurse if you have dense breasts. Most organizations in the United States do not recommend supplemental imaging for women with dense breasts, as noted in this table of breast cancer screening guidelines compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "The constant pull of gravity and the bouncing and movement during running can stretch the breast tissue and possibly lead to sagging, so hold them up with a supportive bra," suggests Taylor. If you eat a balanced diet, are supplements necessary? Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. Dense breast tissue is detected on a mammogram. Breasts contain glandular tissue, fibrous connective tissue, and fatty breast tissue. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. Ketamine for treatment-resistant depression: When and where is it safe? Will new drugs help prevent breast cancer? Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. But the relationship between breast density and tumor type is less well understood. Women with dense breasts may be called back for follow-up testing more often than women with fatty breasts. Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School. They may feel like a soft rubber ball with well-defined margins. Images courtesy of Rulla M. Tamimi, Sc.D., Harvard Medical School. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. The breast on the left is mostly fat, which appears gray on a mammogram; the breast on the right is mostly dense tissue, which appears white. Your doctor may suggest one of these tests. .css-1pm21f6{display:block;font-family:AvantGarde,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1pm21f6:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1pm21f6{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1pm21f6{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1pm21f6{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}6 Staph Infection Signs You Should Never Ignore, Why Self-Care Is Important for Long-Term Health, The Most Common Signs of Burnout, Explained, Heart Health Is the Secret to a Sharper Brain, Bethenny Frankel, 52, Details POTS Syndrome Battle, The Best Cooling Pillows for Hot Sleepers, Derms Reveal 12 Ways to Get Rid of Nail Ridges. Radiologists use mammogram images to grade breast tissue based on the proportion of dense to nondense tissue. Some womens breasts are denser than others. For younger women with dense breasts, the advantage of DBT was even greater: 2.27 more cancers were found for every 1,000 women screened. What does it mean to have dense breasts? Breast cancer is a common type of cancer that affects women and people AFAB. WebAbout half of all women who have screening mammography are found to have dense breast tissue. Don't miss your FREE gift. "However, if she then loses that weight, she'll be left with the extra skin, which just sags because it no longer has all that tissue holding it up. How should women with dense breasts be screened for breast cancer? Younger women typically have higher density than older women, and density typically declines after menopause. Childbirth (particularly first child) after age 30. Dr. Temeika Fairley explains in this video. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. On a mammogram, nondense breast tissue appears dark and transparent. It's not clear why some women have a lot of dense breast tissue and others do not. Breast density is a term that describes the relative amount of these different types of breast tissue as seen on a mammogram. The Medical Clinics of North America. WebYou may be more likely to have dense breasts if you: Are younger Your breast tissue tends to become less dense as you age, though some women may have dense breast This similarity in appearance can make it more difficult to identify potentially cancerous lesions. Dense breast tissue refers to the appearance of breast tissue on a mammogram. First, a couple of truths: We'd all love to have perky breasts our whole lives, but sagging is just a part of life. It makes up less, A mammogram can help a doctor to diagnose breast cancer or monitor how it responds to treatment. http://www.acr.org/Quality-Safety/Resources/BIRADS/Mammography. Women who score a 3 or a 4 are typically said to have high density. Fibrous and glandular tissue looks white on a mammogram. Mammographic breast density is often classified using a system called BiRads, where 1 is "almost entirely fat" and 4 is "extremely dense.". NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention supports research on cancer screening and risk factors, including breast density, such as this clinical trial for women with dense breasts. The ratio of fatty tissue to fibrous, or dense, tissue in the breasts determines if a person has dense breasts. Additional imaging tests are sometimes recommended for women with dense breasts. If you have additional risk factors for breast cancer, your doctor may recommend changes to your breast cancer screening regimen. Besides talking to your provider about additional imaging, you can: If you have dense breasts, it means a radiologist may have a harder time detecting cancer on your mammogram. Energy-boosting coffee alternatives: What to know. About 1 in 10 women has this result. Want to reduce your risk of dementia? 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