Breast density ‘could aid prediction of breast cancer’

Adding a measurement of breast density could help clinicians to better predict a woman's risk for breast cancer, according to a new US study.

Carried out by the University of Virginia, the study evaluated the association between risk factors and breast cancer diagnosis, based on data generated from more than 3,400 women who received digital mammograms at the university's cancer centre.

It was shown that adding breast density data – calculated using an automated software programme – significantly improved the accuracy of the breast cancer risk model, making it easier for screening recommendations to be personalised.

The automated measurement of breast density was demonstrated to be one of the top five predictors of breast cancer risk in the study population.

Dr Jennifer Harvey, professor of radiology at the University of Virginia school of medicine, said: "There is increasing interest in implementing personalised breast cancer screening strategies instead of guidelines based on a woman's age. However, most risk models do not include breast density."

In 2011, just under 50,000 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the UK, making it the most common cancer type in the country.