New research adds to the growing body of evidence showing women with dense breast tissue and benign breast disease are more likely to develop breast cancer in the future.

According to a big study published in the journal Radiology, women with dense breast tissue and benign breast disease have an increased risk of future breast cancer and could benefit from a personalized mammography screening strategy.

Breast lumps, cysts, and nipple discharge are all examples of benign breast disease. It’s a widespread problem that affects both men and women.

Breast cancer is linked to mammographic breast density and benign breast disease, according to research. The combined impact of the two risk variables is less well understood.

In 3.9 million Korean women, the new study looked at the risk of breast cancer related to the combination of mammographic density and benign breast disease. All Korean women over the age of 40 were screened for breast cancer with mammography, giving researchers a large database to analyze.

Over 58,000 women acquired breast cancer during an average follow-up of more than ten years. 10,729 (or 18.4 percent) of the women who developed breast cancer had benign breast disease.

“While these benign breast diseases are not cancerous or life-threatening, our results, together with evidence from previous findings, show that they might increase the risk of breast cancer,” explains study senior author Boyoung Park.

Women with exceptionally dense breasts had a 3.2 percent increased risk of breast cancer. This was far higher than the 1.36 percent risk associated with fatty breast tissue in women.

When compared to women with non-dense breasts and those without benign breast illness, the two risk variables together increased the probability of breast cancer.

The research looked at benign breast disease and breast density in East Asian women for the first time. Its findings show that women with thick breast tissue and a history of benign breast disease would benefit from a customized screening program. For women at high risk of breast cancer, further screening using an MRI or ultrasound is frequently suggested.

According to coauthor Soyeoun Kim, “With the current findings, we believe that women with dense breasts and the presence of benign breast disease would be potential targets for supplemental screening.”

In these women, screening frequency may need to be altered as well. The current recommendations differ by country. For example, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that women begin screening at age 45, with the option of starting at age 40. According to the American Cancer Society, starting at the age of 30, high-risk women should have a yearly mammogram and a breast MRI.

The researchers are currently working on a wider effort aimed at creating a new breast cancer prediction model.

“We want to construct a breast cancer prediction model that is more relevant to Asian women and contains additional factors that were not examined in prior prediction models,” Dr. Park stated.

Image Credit: Getty

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