When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 I was told by the mammography radiologist that I had dense breasts. This was the first time I had ever heard this and I’d been getting mammograms for 10 years.
 |
| © Tyler Olson – Fotolia.com |
In fact, I had never heard of dense breasts before and asked him what he meant. He explained “Your breasts are really dense and so the mammogram isn’t able to see if there are any other lumps or suspicious areas in them.” I pressed for more information and he then explained that when breast tissue is dense, it’s more fibrous instead of fatty which makes it very difficult to see anything in them, even with a mammogram.
Over the years when I’ve had my annual mammogram, I’ve often had to have multiple films done or a complete 2nd set of films because the radiologist couldn’t get a good read from the first set. But no one ever told me that the reason they couldn’t get a good view of my breast tissue was because I had dense breasts. I always just assumed it was the typical process to have multiple sets done, or to have to go back for 2nd sets periodically.
After the radiologist at the Imaging Center told me I had dense breasts I went online and searched for information. I found a site called densebreast.org which had a tremendous amount of relevant information for someone like myself, with dense breasts.
What I learned was that women with dense breasts need to be aware so that they can be even more careful about doing self exams, getting annual mammograms and asking for additional options (ultrasound or MRI) if they have any suspicious or unusual mammogram results.
- Forty percent of women have dense breast tissue
- Mammography often misses cancer in dense breasts
- Dense tissue is comprised of less fat and more fibrous and connective tissue and appears white on a mammogram
- Women with dense breasts can be six times more likely to develop breast cancer
- Monthly breast self exams
- A yearly breast exam by your doctor
- A digital mammogram every year starting at age 40
- You and your doctor may also decide to include an ultrasound and MRI of the breast in your annual personal screening plan if you have any unusual or suspicious mammogram results.
At your next annual mammogram, please remember to ask the radiologist if you have dense breasts. It’s not actually mandatory that it be noted on your mammogram report in many states, so make a point to specifically ask your radiologist, because they may not tell you (no one told me until after I was diagnosed with breast cancer).
Information is power and the more information you have the more you can be your own advocate.
Finally, if you do have dense breasts, according to breastcancer.org there are several lifestyle choices you can make to keep your breast cancer risk as low as it can be:
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Exercise regularly
- Limit your alcohol intake
- Eat nutritious food
- Don’t smoke (or quit if you do smoke)
Me too. Great information Claudia. You are helping women everywhere xo
Thanks, Karen. I sure hope so, it would be great if others could avoid what I had to go through.
Wonderful post with useful information for all women. Thank you for writing it, Claudia.
Thanks Cathy!
Very important information! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Rena!
Me too, thanks for sharing such important matter.
xoxo
Thank you for reading and glad you found the information to be helpful.
Karen, this is so great of your to write about. I am sharing my cousins breast cancer journey in a blog that will post April 28th at EllenDolgen.com. In the blog, I have also interviewed a leading breast cancer specialist and asked her to explain in detail about a women’s screening options who has dense breasts or as she says, breasts that are “polar bear in a snowstorm” dense. You can go to my website and sign up for the free Menopause Mondays Newsletter so you get this blog. I think it will be immensely helpful for women with dense breasts – most women are unaware that there are different mammography machines that do different kinds of screening! Again, thanks for sharing. The more we share – the more we learn from each other!
Hi Ellen – I’ll look for the article on the 28th. It amazes me that the medical community doesn’t automatically share this information with women after each mammogram, but they don’t, in many states. If I’d known this, it could have meant only 2 surgeries for me, vs the 3 I ultimately had.
I know so many survivors this is a big issue in my world. Thanks for this.
Unfortunately I think we all know too many women affected by breast cancer, don’t we?
Such good info to have, Claudia. Thank you!
Thank you, Helene.
Thank you for this, Claudia! I had no idea . . .
Neither did I until I was diagnosed. So crazy that no one ever told me over all those years of mammograms.
Good to know! I have dense, fibrous breasts too. Women need to be aware and medical personnel should be informing patient so they can be good self-advocates. Thanks for helpng so many women today.
Yes, you’re so right, Chloe. I can’t fathom why the medical community doesn’t share this information on a mandatory basis.
Great information, Claudia. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Kathleen.