A majority of girls are unaware that breast density could increase their risk of getting breast cancer, based on a study.
The peer-reviewed study published within the Journal of the American Medical Association questioned whether or not women undergoing mammography screening were aware that breast density is a cancer risk. The study also asked them how they planned to mitigate their risks.
Breast cancer is the second commonest cancer in women in the USA, behind skin cancer, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An estimated 264,000 women and a couple of,400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in America every year. Of those, about 42,000 women and 500 men die from the disease every year.
Within the study, nearly 2,000 women between the ages of 40 and 76 were questioned about their perceived risks of breast cancer.
The research concluded that girls perceived family history as the best risk factor for developing the common but deadly cancer.
Worryingly, nearly all of women didn’t list breast density as a risk factor and one-third didn’t consider that they might take any actions to scale back their breast cancer risk. In some instances, having dense breasts is related to a better risk of getting cancer than a family history.
Individuals with dense breasts have a “1.2 to 4.0 times higher risk of breast cancer (depending on degree of density)” compared with a “2.0 times higher risk related to a first-degree family history of breast cancer,” stated the study.
Dense breasts are composed of more glandular tissue relative to fatty tissue and are a natural and glued risk factor for breast cancer.
It may possibly make it harder to detect tumors on mammograms and should increase the possibilities of getting cancerous cells just because there are more cells within the breasts.
The density of breasts can change over time. People who find themselves younger, pregnant or breastfeeding; taking hormone alternative therapy; or have a lower body weight usually tend to have dense breasts.
An estimated 40%-50% of girls undergoing screening mammography are reported to have dense breasts, a study from the National Library of Medicine found.
Thirty-eight states across the country legally require that girls receive written notification about their personal breast density and its potential health implications to assist them make informed decisions to screen for breast cancer, but the outcomes of the recent study show that these measures are either not implemented or not effective.
People who find themselves found to have dense breasts should contact their doctor to debate the opportunity of undergoing a test beyond a mammogram resembling an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging.
Other known risk aspects include getting older, genetic mutations, reproductive history, personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases, family history of breast or ovarian cancer, previous treatment using radiation therapy and exposure to the drug diethylstilbestrol.
While there are specific risk aspects that one cannot change, medical examiners advise that individuals can mitigate the likelihood by being physically lively, managing a healthy weight and avoiding hormonal medication and alcohol.
