Dense breasts and cancer risk

[gia814]

What's the final word on whether percentage of breast density increases cancer risk? Or is there a final word?  I've read some reports on line that really scare me, considering my breasts are always described as dense to very dense on mammograms.  My last mammo in particular the radiologist kept mentioning very dense parenchyma.  Aren't dense breasts normal in premenopausal women? I'm 38 and have had a few abnormalities that so far have always turned out benign.  Should I be asking for ultrasound every time I have a mammogram?  (Like my insurance company would go for that anyway.) How much of a risk factor is it, in your opinion? I also have some family history of breast cancer. Does that change my risk when combined with very dense breasts?

I did a search on the forums for this question and only found one from several years ago with the response saying facts still weren't in on whether dense breasts increase risk or just make films harder to read.  But the stuff I've been reading makes the density itself sound like a very big risk factor.  So I was wondering if anything had changed since that time.

Thanks a lot.

[boninclyde]

Try posting on the forum that the doctor will answer. We only get 2 questions a day so early morning posting would be best. Also go to breastcancer.org and join the discussion board there. I am sure someone there will be able to guide you.

[mj24]

I am 39 and recently had a breast MRI due to "innumerous lesions scattered throughout both breast". I have 100s of cysts and lesions in both breasts.  They found a suspicious area that will be biopsied using MRI guidance.  I had an interesting converastion with the surgeon regarding nipple-sparing mastectomy.  He believes I could be a candidate for this procedure due to the number of lesions I have even though they are non-cancerous.  The treatment plan for my condition is not clear since there are so many.  There is no history of breast cancer in my family.  Anyone familiar with a similar situation?

[gia814]

Isn't yearly MRI the new recommendation for women who have had breast cancer?  I hope it doesn't take much to talk your doctors into it.  I'd want that too.

[Under Forty Pam]

Yes, the best thing you can do is keep your appointments and not worry about it.  You can't change anything about it you can only catch it as early as possible.  It's like anything else, you just deal with it when it hits.  I think I am going to talk my doctors into an MRI once a year to help catch a reoccurence.

[gia814]

I did have an MRI last week because of  a nodule on mammogram and ultrasound.  It came back as fibrocystic changes, nothing that looked malignant.  But I do have calcifications on mammo that one radiologist suggested following in 6 months, another said a year was fine.  I think I'm going with 6 months.

I really just wish their "additional recommendations" on what women with dense breasts should do for followup wouldn't take a few more years to come out.  It's been known for a while now that ultrasound shows abnormalities in dense breasts that mammo might not, but still most insurance companies won't pay for it as routine screening.  I've only had ultrasound when they've found something on mammogram.

My sister is 12 years older than me and also has dense breasts so of course I worry about her too. She is not postmenopausal yet though.

I guess I should just stop worrying about the future. It can make you crazy if you think about it too much.  I had a biopsy a couple years back that showed various fibrocystic changes, a couple of which do slightly increase my risk of breast cancer in the future according to the ACS. And then this Canadian study on dense breasts.  I find myself worrying about BC too much of the time.  

I hope all is well for you after your diagnosis. I've been keeping you and the other ladies here in my prayers.

[Under Forty Pam]

Often times dense breasts are due to age.  Most people at your age are always told they have dense breasts (perky vs not).  If you have a good mammogram radiologist they can still read the results accurately.  I am 39 and was diagnosed last summer with BC straight from the mammogram (no lump felt).  There seems to be a lot in the news lately about getting MRI's to supplement mammograms, I would ask your doctor about that considering your family history.  I just talked to my medical oncologist yesterday about it and he said since I have had BC that I should get one on my 1 yr mark.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Dear gia814:  Much of what you have read recently regarding breast density is likely related to a Canadian study that was published January 18, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine.  In this study, it was determined that breast density (or having dense breast tissue) is an independent risk factor for developing breast cancer.  The risk of developing breast cancer is five times that of women with the least dense breast tissue.  It is true that premenopausal women are more likely to have more dense tissue but in some women, the tissue is extremely dense and the density persists, even after menopause.  What is less clear is what type of surveillance should be recommended for women with dense breast tissue.  The study simply states that women with dense breast tissue should be vigilant about annual mammography and self-examination.  There is discussion about whether digital mammography, ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging should be incorporated into the screening for