Breast density is a recognized threat issue for growing breast most cancers, however that well-accepted analysis discovering is derived from research performed in ladies below age 75. That is sensible as a result of breast density declines with age, however most cancers epidemiologist Dejana Braithwaite of the College of Florida’s Most cancers Management and Inhabitants Sciences Program puzzled about older ladies: How a lot does density drop, and the way a lot may it matter?
In an analysis of greater than 220,000 mammograms revealed Thursday in JAMA Oncology, her crew stories that density — and the chance of breast most cancers — doesn’t disappear.
Braithwaite talked with STAT about that analysis and her hope to be taught extra about most cancers in older ladies. This interview has been condensed and frivolously edited for readability.
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What had been you hoping to be taught?
Whereas screening for ladies as much as 75 is usually accepted to be acceptable, what’s much less clear is what occurs after ladies attain age 75 and whether or not screening nonetheless is sensible. What we actually need to do is generate the proof to tell personalised screening methods. For some ladies it might make sense to proceed screening past age 75, past what’s beneficial by the guidelines in the event that they’re in good well being and possibly have some threat components like breast density. However for some ladies who could have some well being points, they could not profit from screening.
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What’s the connection between breast density and most cancers?
One of many actually frequent threat components for breast most cancers is breast density, and that’s a measure of the quantity of fibers or glandular tissue — dense tissue —in contrast with fatty tissue. Extra density has been related to elevated threat of invasive breast most cancers.
And for older ladies?
Ours is without doubt one of the first research to essentially have a look at older ladies, significantly ladies aged 75 and older. Though the prevalence of density decreases with age, about half of ladies age 40 to 64 have dense breasts, and we discovered that by the point ladies get into their 60s and 70s, about 30% to 32% nonetheless have dense breasts. And we discovered that their breast density is related to elevated threat of invasive breast most cancers in each age teams of ladies that we studied: 65 to 74, and 75 and older.
Was that surprising?
It’s stunning that 30% of those ladies nonetheless have dense breasts — that’s possibly a bit bit increased than what we anticipated. After menopause, it goes down, however 30% continues to be a substantial quantity. Given the associations we’ve noticed in youthful ladies that density does result in an elevated threat of breast most cancers, that discovering isn’t a surprise. It’s biologically believable.
How do you think about your work may have an effect on the care ladies get or choices they make about persevering with to get screening mammograms?
We expect that breast density must be included in prediction fashions which might be aimed toward estimating breast most cancers threat, and to contemplate that at the side of life expectancy to make knowledgeable choices about potential advantages versus harms of continued screening. We’re presently growing an intervention that’s aimed toward ladies and first care physicians to offer a customized threat evaluation instrument to assist information conversations about screening after age 75.
When does screening nonetheless make sense?
Between 75 and 80, some ladies who’ve a very good life expectancy of not less than 10 years should profit from persevering with mammography. It’s actually extra that after age 80, fewer ladies can be more likely to reside one other 10 years to essentially profit. However there’s a basic consensus that for any sort of most cancers screening, in case you have a 10-year life expectancy, then there’s a excessive probability that you’ll profit from most cancers screening.
This yr, screening suggestions for lung and colorectal most cancers have began at youthful ages. Your work suggests extending it on the different finish of life.
Sure, the questions are type of comparable, you already know, when to start out after which when to discontinue and the way typically to display screen. Along with breast most cancers screening, I do even have a grant that’s specializing in lung most cancers screening. And the tenet of our work is actually to develop the proof that may be translated into interventions to facilitate risk-based screening. What we imply by that’s actually individualizing most cancers screening primarily based on affected person traits and, total, maximize the advantages and reduce the harms.