What does it mean to have dense breasts?

Breast tissue: This is the term used on mammogram reports to indicate that the breast tissue is thickened and makes it harder to see all the breast tissue. Young women are supposed to have dense tissue. As we age, we loose the dense tissue and get fatty-which causes us to droop. It is breast density that keeps our breasts perky and off the floor. :).

Good question: More than 1/2 of women have dense breasts on mammography. The breast tissue, as opposed to the fat that occurs in the breast, is what accounts for the density on mammography. There is evidence that women with denser breasts are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. The higher density can hide breast cancer and therefore make the mammogram more difficult to interpret. Ultrasound can help.

Dense breasts: are normal, but decrease the sensitivity of the mammo for detecting cancers.Some studies show that the sensitivity of mammography in this setting can decrease to lower than 50%. Also, dense breasts are an independent risk factor for developing breast cancer and cancers discovered in women with dense breasts tend to be more advanced. Some recommend adjunct screening ultrasound or 3D tomosynthesis.