Why It Matters: A Potential Warning Sign
Shu Jiang, lead author of the study and associate professor of public health sciences at the University of Washington, said the findings could provide a personalized and dynamic tool for assessing breast cancer risk in women. said to be sexual. “I hope they can get this to clinical use as soon as possible. It will make a big difference,” she said.
“Right now, everyone is only looking at density at a point in time,” added Dr Jiang. However, women have regular mammograms throughout their lives, and the density of each breast is measured each time.
“So this information is actually already available, but not being used,” she said. A woman’s risk of developing breast cancer may now be “renewed with each new mammogram.”
Background: The problem of breast density
Breast density is now an accepted risk factor for breast cancer, but it is one of many factors. Also, dense tissue makes it difficult to detect tumors in imaging scans.
Dozens of states have begun requiring mammography centers to notify women if they have dense breast tissue. In March, the Food and Drug Administration recommended providers talk to women about breast density.
However, this is the first study to measure changes in density over time and report an association with breast cancer.
Next step: find women at risk
Larger studies are needed to confirm the findings, but Karen Knudsen, chief executive of the American Cancer Society, called the data “exciting.”
“This is the first study to specifically look at breast-to-breast changes over time rather than averaging two breasts where changes could be missed,” said Dr. Knudsen.
Women are provided with information about breast density and the associated risks, and this study suggests that this information can be used more effectively. “We need to know how to track, not just warn, women with dense breasts,” said Dr. Knudsen.
Dr. Knudsen suggested that one next step might be to look at breast density over time in women taking breast cancer-fighting drugs to see if it decreases.
“Various risk stratification guidelines may be set to monitor those who lose tissue density much more slowly and those who do not,” said Dr. Jiang.
