Only in America can we find a way to scare a woman with perfectly normal breasts and a normal mammogram. The information about breast density in your mammogram letter was mandatory verbiage crafted by legislators as part of a law that all women be told if they have dense breasts on mammogram:
“Your mammogram shows that your breast tissue is dense. Dense breast tissue is very common and is not abnormal. However, dense breast tissue can make it harder to find cancer on a mammogram and may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This information about the result of your mammogram is given to you to raise your awareness. Use this information to talk to your doctor about your own risks for breast cancer. At that time, ask your doctor if more screening tests might be useful, based on your risk. A report of your results was sent to your physician.”
Raise awareness? More like raise the alarm. The information mandated by the law is just enough to scare any woman who happens to have dense breasts, but not enough to help her understand what this really means.
If you”ve gotten a letter telling you your breasts are dense, don”t be afraid. Having dense breasts is entirely normal, especially if you are younger than age 60. Here”s what you need to know:
What is breast density?
Breast density is an assessment of how well X-rays pass through the breast tissue. It depends on how much of the breast is composed of glandular tissue and how much is fat. Different radiologists may give the same mammogram different ratings.
Breast density can vary during a woman”s menstrual cycle and over her lifetime. The same women being scanned at a different time of month or a year later can land into a higher or lower breast density category, and may or may not get that extra statement in her mammogram letter. Dense breasts are extremely common, especially in younger women.
Dense breasts can obscure a cancer on a mammogram.
Mammograms are less reliable in women with dense breasts. Digital mammograms may be better at detecting breast cancers in women with dense breasts who are also premenopausal. Additional testing with ultrasound and MRI can find cancers that mammograms miss in women with dense breasts. Unfortunately, breast ultrasound and MRI screening tests are less specific than mammograms — this means three times as many biopsies will be done, most of which will not be cancer.
What should you do if you”ve been told your breasts are dense on mammography?
If you are at increased risk for breast cancer due to personal or family history, your physician may recommend adding ultrasound or MRI screening. Otherwise, at this point there is no recommendation that you do anything other than continue screening at whatever interval you and your physician have decided is right for you. Also, don”t forget to do monthly self breast exams.
This column is no substitute for seeing your own health care provider. You can read about all of my escapades on my blog http://www.drpauladhanda.com.
Dr. Paula Dhanda is a practicing physician in Kelseyville. She is the founder of Worldwide Healing Hands. She may be reached at 279-8733 or visit http://drspecialtycare.com/ or http://worldwidehealinghands.org/.
