My mammogram described my breasts as being "heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses." What does that mean? Is it bad to have Fibroglandular density? Breast density is a measure of the amount of fatty tissue (fat) and fibroglandular tissue (glands, like milk ducts and milk lobules, and fibrous tissue) in the breast. Women with a high proportion of fibrous connective tissue and glandular tissue . Classification. It matters because laws vary by location. Breast density refers to the amount of fibroglandular tissue in a breast relative to fat. About 4 in . Breast density is a measurement of the amount of connective, or fibroglandular tissue, as compared to fatty tissue in your breasts. Fibroglandular density measures how much of your breast tissue is made of fibrous connective tissue and glandular tissue. About 4 in 10 women have this result. It is caused by the changes in the breast each month and the regression of those changes when we don't conceive. . A-Mostly fatty: Your breasts have more fatty tissues than fibrous and glandular tissues. Having dense breast tissue makes tumors harder to see on mammograms and is also an independent risk factor for breast cancer. The fibrous and glandular breast tissue seen on a mammogram is white. This is not significant. They also decrease the callback rate. There are scattered areas of fibroglandular density. In your case, you fell into category b, which is technically . Doctor's Assistant: What state are you in? 0. Scattered areas of fibroglandular density. B: Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but the majority of the breast tissue is nondense. What causes scattered Fibroglandular densities? 3D Mammography has a lower false-positive rate than 2D mammograms. b. If no one has explained what Fibroglandular density is, in a nutshell, it means you have dense breasts scattered in spots in the breast. D: Extremely dense indicates that nearly all of the breast tissue is dense. c. The breasts are heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses. Common: This is also known as fibrocystic breast change and is extremely common. . It occurs in 90% of women by age 40 and does not increase the risk of breast cancer. What is Fibroglandular density category B? Female breasts contain fibrous and fatty tissue. A mammogram can determine if you have dense breast tissue, giving you and your doctor the information you need to make decisions about your breast . Women with a high proportion of fibrous connective tissue and glandular tissue to fatty . This happens to about 10% of women. There are four descriptors for breast density on mammography in the 5 th edition of BI-RADS 1,2:. Hi, I am sorry you are going through this. It can be painful if cysts develop. Fibroglandular density refers to scattered areas of density in the breast, which is normal tissue seen in combination with fat. A: Almost entirely fatty indicates that the breasts are almost entirely composed of fat. I recommend that all women consider 3D mammography. When the fibroglandular tisue is mentioned specifically, it means that some fibrous and glandular tissue are very close together forming fibroglandular elements. C: Heterogeneously dense indicates that there are some areas of nondense tissue, but that the majority of the breast . Dense breast tissue, or fibroglandular density, can make it harder to detect breast cancer, putting women with dense breasts at a higher risk. Only about 10% of . October 1, 2011. The fatty tissue on a mammogram appears dark. 3D mammography improves cancer detection in all breast densities - especially for women with high (heterogeneously) fibroglandular density. Category B. The American College of. But you won't go from extremely dense to fatty." She . This may lower the sensitivity of mammography (>75% glandular) a. It will be easier to see any abnormalities on your images. A rash isn't the only visual symptom of inflammatory breast cancer. People with a family history of dense breast tissue or scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are more likely to have it. It can be painful if cysts develop. Many women have fibroglandular elements, scattered or otherwise. The breast density-breast cancer connection. Iowa. With age, the breasts tend to become less dense. The breast has a mix of fatty tissue which appears dark grey or black, and scattered dense (fibroglandular) tissue which looks light grey or white. It is harder to see some breast cancers in dense breasts. Having fibroglandular breast tissue does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer, but it may make changes harder to spot. These types of breast tissue are considered dense. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a benign or noncancerous condition that can cause one or both breasts to feel lumpy. Summary. The breasts are almost entirely fatty b. a: the breasts are almost entirely fatty; b: there are scattered areas of fibroglandular density The breast has a mix of fatty tissue which appears dark grey or black, and scattered dense (fibroglandular) tissue which looks light grey or white. Scattered areas of fibroglandular density. The levels of density are often recorded in your mammogram report using letters: A This level indicates that the breasts are almost entirely composed of fat. It means that the breasts are mostly comprised of fatty tissue but have some dense . Hope this answers your question. Skip to content It's common, affecting about 40 percent of women. This type of cancer also changes the appearance of your breasts. 40% of women have scattered fibroglandular densities. Thank. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a term describing the composition of a person's breasts. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a noncancerous condition that can cause lumps Is it good or bad to have scattered Fibroglandular density in breast? you might move to scattered fibroglandular density. Generally speaking, women with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are at a lower chance of breast cancer than women with dense breasts. Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone. B- Scattered fibroglandular densities: Your breasts have more fatty tissues and a considerable quantity of fibroglandular tissues. The test in big breasts is identifying little cancers while screening. Learn how we can help. About 1 in 10 women has this result. About 1 in 10 women has this result. B Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but most breast tissue is nondense. A 2014 research review found that, compared to women with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue, the risk of breast cancer in women with heterogeneously dense breast tissue increased modestly by . Can Fibroglandular be cancerous? The breast tissue is extremely dense. Scattered fibroglandular tissue refers to the density and composition of your breasts. The words used in the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), of course, are 'scattered areas of fibroglandular density'. . The more fibroglandular tissue you have, the denser your breasts. About 4 in 10 women have this result. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue has breasts made up d. The breasts are extremely dense, which lowers the sensitivity of mammography. Scattered fibroglandular densities means that your breasts are not dense. 1,585. Breast density refers to the amount of fibrous and glandular tissue that appears on a woman's mammogram. It can be hard for radiologists to find cancer, which often also look light grey or white, in areas that are dense. Knowing your fibroglandular density is important because mammograms are less able to reliably detect cancer in breasts with mostly dense breast tissue, compared with those . About 4 in 10 women have this result. Scattered - more fat than glandular tissue; Heterogeneously Dense - mostly dense tissue or areas of very . Breasts are isolated into 4 classifications in light of the extent of big and thick tissue on the mammogram: fatty, scattered fibro glandular, heterogeneously thick, and thick. This is evaluated by the radiologist interpreting your mammogram. The proportions vary between individuals. It can be hard for radiologists to find cancer, which often also look light grey or white, in areas that are dense. Category B. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a common phenomenon that can cause painful or swollen breasts at certain times during the menstrual cycle. C: Heterogeneously dense indicates that there are some areas of nondense tissue . Community radiologists at each site classified breast density on screening mammograms as part of routine clinical practice using the four American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) density categories : almost entirely fat (low density); scattered fibroglandular densities (average density); heterogeneously . This means that you have moderately dense tissue, which is common and not a cause for concern. Ladies with fat and scattered fibroglandular breasts don't need extra imaging. There are four categories of breast density that a radiologist uses when analyzing a mammogram. Women over age 40 are about evenly split between having dense and non-dense breasts, with most falling into one of the middle two categories (scattered or heterogeneous density.) One of the strongest known risk factors for breast cancer is high breast density that is, relatively little fat in the breast and more connective and glandular tissue, as seen on . 4. These normally present an even appearance in a mammogram. NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms provides easy-to-understand definitions for words and phrases related to cancer and medicine. Breasts are classified as "dense" if they fall in the heterogeneously dense (C) or extremely . And some think that having dense breasts is linked to a higher relation to breast cancer. About 80% of . 4.9k views Reviewed >2 years ago. It can significantly vary between individuals and within individuals over a lifetime. Class B (or 2): Scattered fibroglandular density; Class C (or 3): Heterogeneously dense; Doctor's Assistant: What steps have you taken so far? There are scattered areas of fibroglandular . Female breasts contain fibrous and fatty tissue. 0. The four breast density categories are shown in this image. Roughly half of all women have dense breasts, so it's a very common issue and that does not mean that cancer is a concern. I had a mammogram and it showed scattered areas of fibroglandular breast tissue density. B: Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but the majority of the breast tissue is nondense. From most to least dense, the terminology the radiologist uses may be: Extremely dense, heterogeneously dense, scattered areas of fibroglandular density, or almost entirely fatty. Scattered Fibroglandular Mostly fatty with some fibrous and glandular tissue mixed in; . Scattered fibroglandular densities (approximately 25-50 percent glandular) Heterogeneously dense (approximately 51-75 percent glandular) . Categories C and D are considered to be dense breasts: Class A (or 1): Fatty; Class B (or 2): Scattered fibroglandular density . We heard that some facilities weren't defining that term, and that women were seeing the word 'density' and thinking that meant they had dense breasts." Breasts can be almost entirely fatty (A), have scattered areas of dense fibroglandular breast tissue (B), have many areas of glandular and connective tissue (C), or be extremely dense (D). . . The proportion of fat to fibrous tissue will change as a result, and there will be less fibroglandular breast tissue. The proportions vary between individuals. Pitting breast skin. You may notice dimpling or pitting, and . Women whose breasts appear dense on mammograms have a higher risk for some aggressive breast cancers. Caffeine can make the symptoms (tenderness and lumpiness) worse. When a radiologist reads your mammogram, she defines your breast density as being one of four categories. Do I need another mamm in about 6 months or can i resume normal annual screening? 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