On Sept. 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the Mammography Quality Standards Act. Now, if a mammogram shows a patient has dense breast tissue, providers must include a recommendation for supplemental screening.
Dr. Laura Linstroth, the Director of Breast Imaging at Intermountain Medical Imaging and Saint Alphonsus Breast Care Center, explained what having dense breast tissue means for women.
“It's a normal finding. About 40% of women in the United States have dense breast tissue. Women who have dense breast tissue have about 4 to 5 times higher risk of breast cancer than women who do not have dense breast tissue. And the other reason it's important is that it decreases our ability to detect small masses on a mammogram,” she said.
Saint Alphonsus and Intermountain Medical Imaging work together and have both been reporting dense breast tissue to patients for many years. This FDA decision makes this the standard nationwide and also increases access to supplemental screening.
MRIs and automated whole breast ultrasounds have been available to those with high risk of breast cancer for many years. But now, an MRI procedure that is cheaper and shorter is also available to women with dense breast tissue in the Treasure Valley.
Although these imaging methods may be more effective than a mammogram at detecting cancer in dense tissue, Dr. Elizabeth Prier, the Medical Director of the Saint Alphonsus Comprehensive Breast Surgery Center, still recommends a mammogram.
“Screening mammograms and any sort of supplemental screening, um, are, um, complementary. There are things we see on a mammogram, even if you have dense tissue that we might not see on these other modalities,” Dr. Prier explained.
Dr. Linstroth explained these screening options are variably covered by insurance policies. She hopes this FDA change allows for wider coverage of screening methods.
Mammograms are available at most major hospitals. It is recommended that women over the age of 40 receive a mammogram every year.
