Women W/ Dense Breasts More Likely to Develop Cx in Opp. Breast

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Women With Dense Breasts More Likely to Develop Cancer in Opposite Breast
February 14, 2017
A study suggests that women who've been diagnosed with breast cancer and have dense breasts are nearly twice as likely to develop cancer in the opposite breast. Read more...

coastalaggie

I was just diagnosed with DCIS. Age 40. Had mammo at 38 and microcalcs popped up in only 2 years. I have dense breasts and so i am quite concerned as to whether they can detect future BC and whether they have accurately detected BC in my breasts at this stage. The lump I had which was removed last week was only detected with ultrasound. The mammogram missed it. I am struggling with what to do

Anonymous

Oh wow thank you for this! I had no idea that there was a correlation between dense breasts and breast cancer (the link says 6x the chance) -- I have not had bc but I have very dense breasts and have had several aspirations and call back / ultrasounds after mammos and never have been told this by any of my docs or radiologists. This interests me because everything that has ever been aspirated or biopsied was found by me -- never by the mammo/screening process, so I wonder what else may be hiding in there.

One question: if never diagnosed with bc but have very "busy" and dense breasts (many cysts including very large ones that have had to be aspirated, including complex cysts -- a current one very vascular and with a greater than 5mm wall-- and also I have a small fibroadenoma now and have had a solid mass removed - bening) - should I be requesting something more than an annual mammo screening?

coastalaggie

love the name "epicsquirrel" lol.. as for screenings, I've only read about using ultrasound in addition to mammo. Also, find a very good radiologist with many years experience in reading scans I suppose

stephilosphy00

That's why I choose to have BMX. I have extremely dense breasts.

dtad

Me too! Chose BMX due to having dense breasts and ILC...

MinusTwo

And another one. Chose BMX partially due to dense breasts.

Joy66

It's nice to have this information now, but it is too late for me.  I never heard about this correlation before now, but I knew I had dense breasts.  In 2002, when I was 35, I had my left breast removed and cancer treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.  The thought of having both breasts removed never entered my mind.  Angelina Jolie hadn't done her thing yet.  Now I'm hearing about this correlation with the dense breasts.  In 2016, I had Her2Neu in the right breast and had it removed along with the treatment.  I could have avoided all of this extra suffering.  Oh well.

Joy66

Epic Squirrel,

I have dense breasts too.  I am 50 and have had breast cancer twice, both lumps found by me.  I always had regular mammograms also.  Just saying.

leftduetostupidmods

Ha! Even better reason for me to choose prophylactic on the left!

My breasts were super dense (I don't remember if the report said "super" or "ultra") so my tumor wasn't discovered until it was already 4 cm. I had an ultrasound after the diagnostic mammogram. The ultrasound showed NOTHING unusual. Even if the diagnostic mammogram was full of microcalcifications. As for the IDC, nada. Only the pathology showed the full extent and seriousness of the disease, even the biopsy had shown only DCIS.

Racy

Is there a risk reduction if one is taking AI?