Are you Dense Advocacy, Inc is an organization founded on the efforts to inform each individual patient about her own breast density and the potential limitations of mammogram alone.
This organization advocates for State and Federal legislation to standardize the classification of density in breast tissue and to communicate the risk of density to women to improve early detection.
Missouri is the 17th state to enact into legislation a bill (Senate Bill No. 639) that will require all radiology centers that perform mammograms to not only interpret the findings on a mammogram but also to determine the level of density in the breast tissue. This law is set to go into effect on January 1, 2015. If your breasts are greater than 20% dense the radiologist/facility where you had your mammogram performed is required to inform you, likely by mail, as they have in the past about your mammogram results as well as the percentage of density in your breasts.
Breast tissue that is fibrous or glandular with little fat is considered to be dense. This density appears white or cloudy on a mammogram. Benign or cancerous lumps also appear white on mammogram therefore the more dense the breast tissue, the more likely the radiologist is to not be able to identify an abnormality in it’s early stages.
According to Are you Dense Advocacy, 40% of women have dense breasts and mammogram can miss 50% of the cancers in that population. If the radiologist determines you to have dense breasts there are options to further evaluate your risks based on personal and family history, genetics, lifestyle and overall health.
The options for follow up that will be offered for women determined to have dense breasts on mammogram include:
1. ultrasound of the breasts
2. MRI of breasts
3. Referral to high-risk evaluation center.
Although the law mandates disclosure of density and recommendation for follow-up, it does not mandate that insurance companies cover the follow-up testing. Ultrasound and MRI can be very expensive and it is not a guaranteed benefit. The referral to a high-risk evaluation center is free of charge and it essentially consists of a risk assessment based on your individual risk factors and then a recommendation for appropriate follow-up.
We encourage you discuss these options with your healthcare provider to determine the most appropriate steps for you following your mammogram.
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