Breast density may be linked to breast cancer risk

AORN Journal,  Oct, 2006  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Increased breast density is almost as important as a woman's age in determining her risk of breast cancer, according to a Sept 5, 2006, news release from EurekAlert. Researchers developed a risk-prediction model for breast cancer by studying data from more than one miLLion women who had screening mammograms and focusing on 11,638 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast density is a measurement of how weft breast tissue can be seen on a mammogram. Denser tissue (eg, milk glands) appears white on an x-ray, and tissue that is Less dense (eg, fatty tissue) appears clear. After data were adjusted for age, the breast cancer risk for women with dense breast tissue was almost four times greater than for women whose breast tissue consists mostly of fat. This finding, along with other identified risk factors (eg, age, ethnicity, family history, history of a previous false-positive mammogram, history of a previous breast procedure, increased body mass index, natural menopause, use of hormone therapy), eventually may improve the early identification of women who are at greatest risk for breast cancer.

New Model Emphasizes Breast Density as a Predictor of Breast Cancer Risk, Large Study Shows (news release, Washington, De: EurekAlert!, Sept 5, 2006) http://www.eurekatert.org/pub_releases/2006-09/ghcc-nme083106.php (accessed 8 Sept 2006).

COPYRIGHT 2006 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning