Understanding Dense Breast Tissue and Your Cancer Risk

Have you ever been told that you have dense breast tissue during a breast exam? This means your breasts have little fat, which isn’t dense, compared to other tissue types.

For October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the expert oncologists at Arizona Center for Cancer Care encourage you to read about dense breast tissue as it’s a breast cancer risk factor. They provide world-class breast cancer care at offices in Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Anthem, Peoria, Fountain Hills, Wickenburg, Apache Junction, Sun City, Sun City West, Goodyear, and Tempe, Arizona.

About 10% of women have extremely dense breast tissue, which means their breast tissue is mostly fibrous tissue (tissue that supports the breasts’ shape) and glandular tissue (milk ducts and lobes). Less dense breasts have more fatty tissue. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how to tell if you have dense breast tissue and how it influences your breast cancer risk. 

How to tell if you have dense breast tissue

You won’t be able to tell if you have dense breast tissue just by touching or self-examining your breasts. However, doctors can see dense breast tissue on a mammogram. 

Breast density isn’t fixed, so even if your last mammogram didn’t show dense breast tissue, you might develop it later. Your breasts’ density can change over time due to:

• Your age
• Your weight (you’re more likely to have dense breast tissue at a low body weight)
• Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• Having babies
• Drinking alcohol

After a routine mammogram, your doctor can tell you if your breast tissue is dense or not. 

What dense breast tissue means for your cancer risk

Breast density affects breast cancer risk in two ways:

Dense breasts increase your risk of developing breast cancer

You have a higher chance of getting breast cancer if your breast tissue is extremely dense or mostly made up of fibroglandular tissue. Experts aren’t sure why this is the case.

It’s important to note that, even though it raises your risk of getting breast cancer, having dense breast tissue isn’t a health issue in itself. 

Dense tissue makes cancer harder to find

On a mammogram, fatty breast tissue appears transparent while dense breast tissue looks solid white. This can make tumors harder to see because tumors also appear white on a mammogram. Doctors can overlook smaller tumors when they’re concealed by dense tissue.

Taking preventive steps

It’s important to keep up with your breast cancer screenings, which check for breast cancer. Women with a generally average breast cancer risk should start getting yearly screenings at age 40. 

Fortunately, modern and 3D mammogram technology can help doctors see through dense breast tissue with a little more clarity. 

Even though dense tissue can make tumors harder to see, mammograms are still a key part of preventive care that can help you identify breast cancer as early as possible if you do develop it. 

If you have dense breasts, your doctor might recommend other tests to screen for breast cancer, such as a breast MRI scan or ultrasound. 

Get in touch

Do you have concerns about dense breasts or your breast cancer risk? Call your nearest Arizona Center for Cancer Care or request an appointment online today.