The finding is important because breast tissue density can limit mammography's efficacy, and women with dense tissue may benefit from adjunctive screening modalities, wrote Dr. Stamatia Destounis and colleagues.
The group conducted a retrospective analysis of histologically confirmed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), invasive ductal, or invasive lobular breast cancers. The study included 514 cancers detected at screening and 82 interval cancers. Breast density was assessed using volumetric breast density software.
Women with breast tissue of high volumetric density were 3.9 times more likely to be diagnosed with an interval cancer versus a screening cancer than women with fatty breast tissue, the researchers found.
Volumetric breast density measures could help identify women who might benefit from adjunct methods of breast cancer screening, they concluded.
