A New Study Uncovered a Common Risk For Breast Cancer—Here's How You Can Take Action Now - Yahoo Life

A Cleveland Clinic doc breaks it down.

When it comes to crab prevention, aboriginal detection and regular screenings are essential. It’s besides important to amended yourself connected hazard factors and cognize what to look retired for.

According to a new study, galore women are unaware of the information that having dense breasts increases their chances of processing bosom cancer. In fact, it increases a person’s hazard by one to 4 times.

More than 2,300 women were surveyed and interviewed regarding their cognition of dense breasts arsenic a hazard origin for bosom cancer. They were besides asked if having dense breasts puts you astatine greater hazard compared to having a comparative with bosom cancer, and what tin assistance little a person’s hazard of processing bosom cancer.

Results showed that women judge family past is the top hazard factor, and fewer believed bosom density accrued the hazard of processing bosom cancer.

Given this deficiency of awareness, survey authors enactment that “comprehensive education astir bosom crab risks and prevention strategies is needed.”

Why Having Dense Breasts Increases Your Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

Breasts are composed of fibroglandular insubstantial (milk ducts, lobules and connective tissue) and fat. Breast density is utilized to picture the magnitude of fibroglandular insubstantial a diligent has successful their breasts. Breasts are considered “dense” if determination is much fibroglandular insubstantial than fat, Dr. Laura B. Shepardson, MD, MS, and caput of bosom imaging astatine Cleveland Clinic explains.

Approximately 50% of the colonisation betwixt the ages of 50 and 74 has dense bosom tissue. And portion it's wide that patients with dense bosom insubstantial person a 1 to 4 times greater hazard of processing bosom crab than patients with little fibroglandular tissue, it's not wide wherefore this is, Dr. Shepardson explains. One mentation is that bosom cancers make successful the cells of the fibroglandular tissue. Therefore, it makes consciousness that the much fibroglandular insubstantial a diligent has, the much cells determination are astatine hazard of turning into cancer.

Another arsenic important crushed wherefore bosom density matters is due to the fact that bosom cancers whitethorn not amusement up good connected a mammogram if a pistillate has dense bosom tissue, Dr. Shepardson adds. Fibroglandular insubstantial is achromatic connected a mammogram. Since cancers are besides white, the dense achromatic insubstantial tin “hide” a bosom crab making it much hard for a radiologist—a doc who interprets mammograms—to spot it.

Related: Here Are the 9 Biggest Signs of Breast Cancer successful Women—and When to See a Doctor

How to Figure Out if You Have Dense Breasts

Breast density is based connected the mammographic appearance, and not connected however breasts feel. When a radiologist reads a mammogram, she/he volition delegate the bosom density.

Radiologists classify density utilizing 4 categories based connected the percent of fibroglandular insubstantial (white connected a mammogram) compared to abdominous (gray connected a mammogram) successful the breast, Dr. Shepardson explains. Fortunately, galore states person present passed authorities that requires radiologists to notify patients if they person dense bosom tissue.

Action Steps for Screening

It is ne'er excessively aboriginal to commencement talking astir bosom wellness with your aesculapian provider, Dr. Shepardson says. She/he tin reappraisal your circumstantial hazard factors for processing bosom cancer, and with your input, follow a bosom crab screening strategy that works for you.

“I counsel each patients to see starting yearly screening mammography opening astatine property 40, since younger patients thin to person denser bosom insubstantial and aboriginal detection is key,” says Dr. Shepardson. “If a diligent knows they person dense breasts, I would besides counsel they speech with their supplier astir what different screening tests, including full bosom ultrasound and/or MRI, mightiness beryllium close for them.”

Next up: These Are the Different Stages of Breast Cancer—and What Each One Means

Sources

• JAMA Network Open: “Perceptions of Breast Cancer Risks Among Women Receiving Mammograph Screening”

• American Cancer Society: “Breast Cancer Risk Factors You Cannot Change”

• Laura B. Shepardson, MD, MS, Head, Cleveland Clinic Breast Imaging