Breast Cancer Awareness: Let's Talk About Breast Density

Living in the information age is both a blessing and a curse to those of us working to spread awareness about the importance of breast density in breast cancer detection.

On one hand, we’ve never had such easy access to more accurate data about breast density. On the other hand, misleading or bemusing information can spread far too easily.

More and more states now require that women with dense breasts be notified of that fact in their mammogram results, but even women who receive notification about their breast density may be confused about what that means for them.

As one article in Radiology Today points out, "In some areas, the education aspect of this movement isn't keeping pace with the notification mandates. . . . Many imagers wonder exactly what their role is in educating both patients and primary care physicians as to what this notification means and what steps should be taken upon receiving it."

Whether you are a breast cancer survivor, healthcare provider, or advocate of cancer prevention, you can help save lives by educating yourself and others about breast density! Here are a few articles, videos, and other resources that may help.

• I’d invite you to check out my KLAS Blog post entitled Warriors Wanted: Breast Cancer and Density Reporting. In addition to telling the story of how I learned about breast density and joined the crusade for legislation requiring density reporting, it lists some breast-density facts from trustworthy sources like Mayo Clinic and The American Cancer Society.

   

• I am also excited about the brand-new "Let’s Talk About Dense Breasts" video series. These short videos answer the questions in their titles: "What is Breast Density?", "Why Does Breast Density Matter?", and "Is My Mammogram Enough?". These are perfect for doctors to show their patients or for women to share with friends on social media.

   

• If you like these videos and want to learn more, you can visit its source site, www.densebreast-info.org. In addition to tabs for patients and healthcare professionals, the site includes information about screening technologies and legislation. It was started by my good friend, JoAnn Pushkin, a breast cancer survivor whose dense breast tissue obscured her cancer for an estimated five years before her diagnosis.

   

• To read more stories about warriors with dense breast tissue, visit the "Stories" tab on www.areyoudense.org. This site also includes a handy patient guide to screening options for dense breastsand ideas for becoming an advocate in the breast-density cause.

   

• If you’re a doctor who would like some resources for teaching your patients, check out the fliers from the American College of Radiology. One gives a lesson on breast density and how it affects mammograms, and another details pros and cons of the different screening options available. Providers can simply print these fliers and talk through them with their patients.

I hope each of us can take a stand against breast cancer by spreading the word about breast density. In this case, knowledge may be more than power; it could be survival!

Photo Cred: Shutterstock, ESB Professional