Conditions

Dense Breasts Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Feb 10, 2017 07:40 AM EST

The latest research has revealed that women with plenty of fatty breast tissues are most likely to acquire the deadly disease compared to those who do not have. Dense boobs are being linked to higher risks of developing breast cancer.

Daily Mail UK reveals in a report that a group of researchers at the University of California in San Francisco conducted a study on 18,000 women with breast cancer. The study revealed that fatty breast cells can be considered as one of the biggest indicators of the disease. It can be considered as an even bigger factor compared to cancer history in one's family.

The study expanded further to 184,00 more women with the same age but without any cancer signs. They were examined per their breast density and were categorized into four; almost entirely fat, mostly fat, moderately dense and predominantly dense. Risk factors such as weight, family history and having their first baby at the age of 30 were also recorded.

The study suggests the 39 percent of breast cancer incidences that occurred before menopause could have been prevented if the breast were less dense.

The author of the study, Dr. Natalie Engmann also revealed that if women with dense breast were reduced prevents the number of breast cancer cases from increasing. Tamoxifen is a drug that can be used to lower the density in the breast but can cause several side effects.

Medical News Daily sees a mammogram as an avenue to determine if a woman has dense breast or not, but makes it hard in determining the presence of tumors. Dense tissues are solid and can make it difficult to detect tumors. However, gaining weight to add fatty tissues to the breast and to aid in lowering its density has its consequences too. Obesity, for one also poses a risk of developing several types of cancer.

Further analysis on determining risk factors that can lead to cancer are being explored to be able to develop ways of discovering, if not preventing the disease to allow early treatment and higher chances of survival.

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