The TODAY Show

HOW DO DENSE BREASTS AFFECT MAMMOGRAM READINGS?

Dense tissue shows up as white on X-rays — think of how bones stand out in those images. “When I as a breast imaging radiologist describe a patient as having dense breasts, what I mean is that her mammogram looks white to me,” Smetherman said. “Cancers will also look white, so looking for something white on a background of white is more difficult to identify.” Fatty tissue, on the other hand, looks gray on a mammogram, so a tumor stands out.

SHOULD WOMEN WITH DENSE BREASTS STILL HAVE A MAMMOGRAM?

Absolutely, both experts emphasized. “That’s a very, very important message,” Smetherman noted. Women will still benefit from mammography, which is the only FDA-approved screening tool for breast cancer.

Read the full article here:

https://www.today.com/health/what-are-dense-breasts-fda-wants-women-know-about-breast-t151225