In the United States, a woman’s breast tissue is categorized as one of four BI-RADS ® categories:Ī) Fatty (B) Scattered fibroglandular tissue (C) Heterogeneously dense (D) Extremely dense.īreasts which are (C) heterogeneously dense, or (D) extremely dense, are considered “dense breasts.”Ī. Right: On a mammogram, fat appears dark gray, glands and fibrous tissue (dense tissue), as well as muscle, and lymph nodes appear light gray or white. Often a few lymph nodes and the underlying muscle are seen near the underarm (axilla). There is layer of fat just beneath the skin. Left: The normal breast is composed of milk-producing glands at the ends of ducts that lead to the nipple. Breast density is not determined by how a breast looks or feels but by how it looks on a mammogram.ĭiagrams of the normal breast. As a woman ages, the proportion of fatty tissue gradually increases, so that by the age of 70 approximately 80% of all women will have mostly fatty breasts. Some women’s breasts are almost all fatty, whereas others have varying proportions of fatty and fibroglandular tissue. No two women’s breasts are the same because each contains a unique mix of fatty and dense tissue. Fatty tissue allows more x-rays to penetrate and therefore shows up as dark gray (“radiolucent”) on a mammogram. Glandular and fibrous tissue (referred to as “fibroglandular” tissue) absorb x-rays and therefore show up white on a mammogram and are “radiodense” or simply “dense”. Article: Density Implications/ScreeningĪll breasts contain glandular tissue, consisting of the milk-producing TDLUs (terminal ductal lobular units) and major lactiferous ducts, fibrous tissue, and fat.Hoja informativa para pacientes/Patient Fact Sheet.Lista de riesgos de cancer de mama/Breast Cancer Risk Checklist.Preguntas y respuestas de los pacientes/Patient Questions and Answers.State Legislation Table by Inform Law Effective Date.State Legislation Table by Alphabetical Order.Mammography, 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis).Table: Cancer Detection by Screening Method.CME/CE, “Dense Breasts and Supplemental Screening”.Let’s Talk About Dense Breasts, Video Series.
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