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Molecular Breast Imaging: Can It Be a Resource For Women With Dense Breast

Aunt Minnie, an online publication dedicated to imaging, issues a special report on Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI). There is a section of the report dedicated to MBI as a tool to address the challenge of dense breast tissue. Dr. Cappello is featured in the article "Nancy Cappello, PhD, was shocked when she received a diagnosis of breast cancer in February 2004. The Connecticut resident ate right, exercised, and had annual mammograms -- in fact, she’d received a negative mammogram just two months prior. But unbeknownst to Cappello, she was a member of an unlucky club of women -- those with dense breast tissue, in whom mammography has less than a 50% chance of catching breast cancer. " To read the rest of the report go to MBI.

Back to Research Dense Breast Tissue

Are You Dense? Fact #1: Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer.

Are You Dense? Fact #2: Two-thirds of pre-menopausal women and 40% of post-menopausal women have dense breast tissue.

Are You Dense? Fact #3: Adding more sensitive tests to mammography significantly increase detection of invasive cancers that are small and node negative.

Are You Dense? Fact #4: American College of Radiology describes women with "Dense Breast Tissue" as having a higher than average risk of Breast Cancer.

Are You Dense? Fact #5: While a mammogram detects 98% of cancers in women with fatty breasts, it finds only 48% in women with dense breasts.

Are You Dense? Fact #6: A woman at average risk and a woman at high risk have an EQUAL chance of having their cancer masked by mammogram.

Are You Dense? Fact #7: Women with dense breasts who had breast cancer have a four times higher risk of recurrence than women with less-dense breasts.

Are You Dense? Fact #8: A substantial proportion of Breast Cancer can be attributed to high breast density alone.

Are You Dense? Fact #9: Cancer turns up five times more often in women with extremely dense breasts than those with the most fatty tissue.

Are You Dense? Fact #10: There are too many women who are unaware of their breast density, believe their “Happy Gram” when it reports no significant findings and are at risk of receiving a later stage cancer diagnosis.