Takeaways from the Breast Density Twitter Chat

Recently, Volpara Health sponsored a My Density Matters Twitter Chat with Dr. Kirti Kulkarni to help women understand breast density and cancer risk.

The live Twitter Chat was a moderated conversation designed to help women learn about a largely unknown breast cancer risk – dense breast tissue. A Twitter Moment is available for others to review this conversation.

These key takeaways are essential information for women to know about breast health:

• Having high breast density inherently increases the risk for breast cancer by four to six times¹. Most women were unaware that dense breasts are common, and high breast density is one of the strongest risk factors for developing breast cancer.
• Read your mammogram report. Breasts are made up of fibroglandular and fatty tissue. Dense breasts have a higher amount of glandular tissue than fatty tissue, and the density score is determined using a mammogram. A density category is assigned by the radiologist ranging from A through D. Density A has the least density, density B has scattered density, density C and D are both considered dense breasts, with density D considered extremely dense.¹
• The denser the breasts, the harder it is for radiologists to spot cancer on a standard mammogram. Women should be discussing breast density with their GPs and OBGYNs. The risks associated with dense breast tissue is why it’s essential for women to learn their breast density and talk to a doctor to explore additional screening options. The My Density Matters website has resources that describe available breast cancer screening options and links to breast screening facilities.

We’d like to thank Dr. Kulkarni for sharing her expertise in the Twitter Chat and invite you to follow #BreastDensityChat onTwitter to stay informed on upcoming Twitter Chats.

Visit the Volpara Health patient website for more information on dense breasts and see how cancer may hide in dense tissue.