Are you
dense? Directed at your intellect, this question can be an insult –
directed at your breasts, this question is vital to tailor your annual breast
cancer screenings to maximize the early detection of breast cancer.
Approximately
40 percent of women over the age of 40 have dense breast tissue by mammography.
What are dense breasts?
Simply,
a mammogram has only two colors: grey and white. The grey represents normal
fat, and the white represents breast tissue (the structural and glandular elements).
Breasts come in different shapes, sizes, and densities.
If we
see mostly grey while looking at a mammogram, radiologists refer to those
breasts as fatty.
Fat is
our friend in the breast – if we can see that it is fat, we know it is not
cancer. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if a woman’s breasts are mostly
white on a mammogram, radiologists refer to them as dense.
Every
screening mammogram report must document the tissue density. So the staff at
the breast center that did your exam and the doctor who received your report
know your density.
Dense
tissue poses a problem, as we are looking for white lumps which may represent
abnormalities; it is like trying to find a white balloon in a white cloud.
Although 3-D mammography improves the visibility and sensitivity of a
mammogram, it does not solve the issue completely. In addition, having dense
breasts is linked with an increased risk for developing breast cancer.
Enter
3-D Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS),
a screening tool to add to your annual mammogram if you have dense breasts.
ABUS is the only FDA-approved system, in conjunction with mammography, for
screening dense breast tissue.
Adding
ABUS to screening mammography finds 55 percent more breast cancers than
mammography alone in women with dense breasts. About 40 percent of women have
dense breast tissue; for these women, screening mammography alone may not be
enough to find breast cancer.
What is the ABUS screening experience?
A
technologist scans the breast with a gel-covered paddle as you lie on the exam
table. The scan takes about fifteen minutes to record up to a thousand 3-D
images for the radiologist to review.
Baylor
Scott & White Medical Center – Plano’s Elizabeth Jekot MD Breast Imaging
Center in Richardson is the first imaging center in the
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to offer this service.
So, are
you dense? If so, do not just get a screening mammogram. Add 3-D screening
ultrasound to maximize early detection. As a breast imager and a 16-year breast
cancer survivor, I can attest that early detection saves lives!
Dr. Elizabeth Jekot, is the medical director of the Baylor Scott
& White Medical Center – Plano Elizabeth Jekot, MD Breast Imaging Center.
As a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Jekot is passionate about early detection of
breast cancer and helping women overcome breast cancer. Dr. Jekot is board
certified by the American Board of Radiology and completed internship and
residency training programs in diagnostic radiology. She also completed a
breast fellowship at Komen Breast Center in Dallas.
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