Peachy the Magazine September October 2015 | Page 104

WRITTEN BY

Nancy Palermo Lietz MD

The “Breast” Advice
for Dense Breasts

Y

You just received the results of your
recent mammogram, and although it
was read as “normal,” comments in the
body of the letter suggest your breasts
are dense. This not only reduces the
reliability of the mammogram but may
also place you at an increased risk for
breast cancer. So, “Is it normal?” and
“What should you do now?”
Dense breast tissue refers to the appearance of the breast tissue on a mammogram. Breasts are composed of different
types of tissue: fibrous, glandular and
fatty types. When the breast is composed of more fibrous and glandular
tissue, it is deemed “dense.” Approximately 40 percent of all screening mammograms identify dense breast tissue.
On mammograms the fibrous and
glandular tissue appears white. When
cancer cells are present they are also
seen as white on the mammogram, so
an increase in breast density can make
diagnosis difficult. While dense breasts
are considered a common and normal

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finding, some states require radiologists
to notify women when mammograms
show dense breasts so they can discuss
the results with their physicians. This
often leads to increased concern and
confusion—many times both patients
and their physicians are not sure what
needs to be done with the findings.
Dense breasts are more common in
younger women. Women between the
ages of 40 and 50 tend to have dense
breasts up to 40 percent of the time.
As they get older the tissue becomes
less dense. Women who are premenopausal also tend to have an increase
in their breast density bec