So you get a mammogram and you find out the overall news: Okay or not okay. But next year, the FDA will require you to also get a breast density rating. Here’s Why.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “By law this is a win for women everywhere,” says radiologist and researcher Dr. Kristin Robinson at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville. She’s been working for years to have a uniform system nationwide to tell women how dense their breasts are.
The new FDA mandate will begin in September 2024. All breast centers must give women a breast density rating with their mammogram report.
“So if you notice on your report saying you are a category 3 or 4, or it might say C or D, those are the dense breast categories,” Dr. Robinson says.
If you do find out you have dense breasts, then what? “We recommend that you consider supplemental screening,” the doctor says.
This would mean an additional screening beyond your mammogram, anything from an MRI to a molecular breast imagery study.
This additional screening, Dr. Robinson says, could save your life. It can be even better than a mammogram.
The screenings, she says, “can definitely detect breast cancer smaller than a mammogram alone.”
Why does breast density matter?
“Women who have dense breast tissue are at an increased risk of developing breast caner compared to women who don’t,” Dr Robinson says.
The Mayo Clinic physician is hoping insurance companies will wind up covering these additional screenings. Right now only 38 states require breast density reports, and, she says, they are not uniform in their guidelines.
This “Learn” part of our 3-part series, “LIVE LEARN LOVE,” is sponsored by Subaru of Jacksonville.
