Abstract
BackgroundMammographic breast density (MBD) and benign breast disease (BBD) are two of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. Understanding trends in MBD by age and parity in women with BBD is essential to the clinical management and prevention of breast cancer.MethodsUsing data from the Early Determinants of Mammographic Density (EDMD) study, a prospective follow-up study of women born in 1959–1967, we evaluated MBD in 676 women. We used linear regression with generalized estimating equations to examine associations between self-reported BBD and MBD (percent density, dense area, and non-dense area), assessed through a computer-assisted method.ResultsA prior BBD diagnosis (median age at diagnosis 32 years) was reported by 18% of our cohort. The median time from BBD diagnosis to first available study mammogram was 9.4 years (range 1.1–27.6 years). Women with BBD had a 3.44% higher percent MBD (standard error (SE) = 1.56, p-value = 0.03) on their first available mammogram than women without BBD. Compared with parous women without BBD, nulliparous women with BBD and women with a BBD diagnosis prior to first birth had 7–8% higher percent MBD (β = 7.25, SE = 2.43, p-value< 0.01 and β = 7.84, SE = 2.98, p-value = 0.01, respectively), while there was no difference in MBD in women with a BBD diagnosis after the first birth (β = −0.22, SE = 2.40, p-value = 0.93).ConclusionWomen with self-reported BBD had higher mammographic breast density than women without BBD; the association was limited to women with BBD diagnosed before their first birth.
Highlights
Mammographic breast density (MBD) and benign breast disease (BBD) are two of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer
Since parity induces significant changes in the breast tissue, we further investigated whether any associations between BBD and MBD differed by parity and timing of first birth in relation to BBD diagnosis
We further explored the relationship between time from self-reported BBD diagnosis to first mammogram and MBD measured at the first mammogram and found no correlation
Summary
Mammographic breast density (MBD) and benign breast disease (BBD) are two of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. Understanding trends in MBD by age and parity in women with BBD is essential to the clinical management and prevention of breast cancer. Mammographic breast density (MBD) is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. Several studies examined the effect of MBD on risk of BBD and have reported positive associations between the two [8,9,10]. Given that MBD decreases with increasing age [1, 11,12,13,14], changes in MBD over time, in women with BBD, could be clinically important to their management and prevention of breast cancer. Since parity induces significant changes in the breast tissue, we further investigated whether any associations between BBD and MBD differed by parity and timing of first birth in relation to BBD diagnosis
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