Genetic and Lifestyle Predictors of Density
Women with dense tissue in 75% or more of the breast are four to six times more likely to develop breast cancer as those with little or no dense tissue. While breast density (BD) is a strong risk factor for breast cancer, racial/ethnic differences in BD, and its different measures, are unclear.
Using data from the Boston Mammography Cohort Study (BMCS), a large, multiethnic cohort of women receiving mammograms at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we will examine the racial/ethnic patterns of mammographic density and change in density, explore early-life and adult predictors of MD and change in density, and investigate whether SNPs associated with percent density in white women are similarly associated among black and Hispanic women. Our study population is the Boston Mammography Cohort Study (BMCS), a study of mammographic density among over 2,600 women obtaining mammograms at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston, MA.
Breast Density Notification
As of January 2020, 38 US states and the District of Columbia require that women receive written notification when dense tissue is found on a mammogram. In March 2019, the Food And Drug Administration proposed a new federal rule requiring all mammography facilities in the United States to notify women about dense breast tissue. Notification is meant to inform women that dense breast tissue is common (40-50% prevalence), associated with breast cancer risk, reduces mammography sensitivity by obscuring tumor tissue, and other screening modalities such as ultrasound or MRI may be warranted. However, notification letters are written above an 8th grade reading level, leaving many women anxious and confused about next steps.
We have several projects ongoing related to breast density notification including the development of a Conversational Agent, an interactive tool that delivers tailored information and support, to help patients and their providers achieve optimal engagement in evidence-based breast cancer screening including understanding of breast density.
Physical and Sedentary Activity in Relation to TDLU Involution and Mammographic Density
Using data from the Komen Tissue Bank (KTB), a repository of breast tissue, DNA, serum and epidemiological data from healthy volunteer donors this project will: 1) Assess the association between current physical and sedentary activity and TDLU counts, median TDLU span, median acini counts/TDLU among 1938 women enrolled in the KTB (1369 premenopausal and 569 postmenopausal); 2) Investigate the association between current physical and sedentary activity with mammographic density (percent, non-dense and dense area) and cross-classified breast density and TDLU involution measures among 485 KTB participants with available digital mammograms and TDLU involution measures
