Women with Dense Breast do not Necessarily need more Screening, Study Finds

Women with dense breast tissues have always been advised to get extra screening. Studies have found that dense tissues can hide small tumors that could become cancerous. According to a new study, however, researchers found that dense breast tissue alone is not enough to justify undergoing testing on top of an annual mammogram.

For this study, Dr. Karla Kerlikowski from the University of California San Francisco and her team examined 365,426 women between the ages of 40 and 74. In total, the women have had 831,000 mammograms. The researchers also had access to the number of breast cancer cases in this sample set.

With all of this data, the team was able to identify factors that help predict breast cancer risk. These factors included, age, race, family history, density of breast tissue, and breast biopsy results. The team concluded that breast density alone is not a good indicator of breast cancer risk.

The researchers found that out of all of the women who had dense breasts, about 50 percent of them were low-risk and would not need additional screening. 24 percent would be recommended to get more screening, such as an MRI or ultrasound.

"You can't do supplemental screening for 45% of the population," Kerlikowski said in regards to the fact that 42% to 45% of women will have dense breast tissue. "It's just not realistic, neither from a time or cost standpoint."

She added, "I think people right now are looking at the density report from the mammogram and not taking into account age and other factors. But you can't; you have to look at the risk factors together."

The researchers have created a Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium Risk Calculator that looks at multiple factors.

The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.