Women with dense breasts have a higher risk of breast cancer

(WDIV) – Regarding breast cancer screening, Lisa Spreder did what she was supposed to do: she had regular breast exams and an annual mammogram.

Last fall, when her mammogram report was back to normal, the mother of four thought everything was fine. But his family doctor was not so sure.

"He had said that he had looked at my report and that even though he had become normal again, he was presenting with dense breast tissue," Spreder said.

The report stated that Spreder had a "heterogeneously dense" breast tissue. According to the National Cancer Institute, about four in ten women do it. This means that the breast contains more fibrous or glandular tissue and less fat.

This is important for two reasons. First, women with dense breasts have a higher risk of breast cancer than women with fatter breasts. Second, dense breast tissue appears white on a mammogram. But the same goes for tumors, making cancer more difficult to detect.

Spreder's doctor also knew that his grandmother was a breast cancer survivor.

"He had just attended a seminar and he had heard that women who had dense breast tissue and a family history of breast cancer should really switch to MRI because the 3D mammograms do not not detect breast cancer at the early stage, "recalls Spreder.

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