Breast Density: B - Scattered Fiberigrandular Dense
What is Breast Density?
Breasts are made up of a mixture of fibrous, glandular, and fatty tissue. Your breasts are considered dense if you have more fibrous or glandular tissue and less fat. 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue.
How Do I Know if I Have Dense Breast Tissue?
- Automatic software analyzes mammogram images objectively and consistently, providing the radiologist with breast composition information, including breast density assessment.
- A breast density score will now be included in the patient letter following the mammogram screening. The score will range from A (fatty) to D (extremely dense).
- Women with dense breasts (category C or D), should consider additional breast exam options in addition to a yearly mammogram.
Why is Breast Density Important?
Having dense breast tissue may increase your risk of getting breast cancer. Dense breasts also make it more difficult for doctors to spot cancer on mammograms. Dense tissue appears white on a mammogram. Lumps, both benign and cancerous, also appear white. So mammograms can be less accurate in women with dense breasts.
If I Have Dense Breasts, Do I Still Need a Mammogram?
Yes. A mammogram is the only medical imaging screening test proven to reduce breast cancer deaths. Many cancers are seen on mammograms even if you have dense breast tissue. McFarland Clinic offers additional screening for women with dense breast tissue.
What Should I Do or Not Do if I Have Dense Breasts?
If you have dense breasts, please talk to your doctor. Together, you can decide which, if any, additional screening exams are right for you. If your breasts are not dense, other factors may still place you at increased risk for breast cancer — including a family history of the disease, previous chest radiation treatment for cancer and previous breast biopsies that show you are at high risk.
Talk to your doctor and discuss your history. Even if you are at low risk, and have entirely fatty breasts, you should still get an annual mammogram starting at age 40.
