As of September 10, 2024, all mammography facilities in the United States must notify patients about their breast density. This is a new federal requirement, although many states already have breast density notification laws.
Nondense Breast Notification: “Breast tissue can be either dense or not dense. Dense tissue makes it harder to find breast cancer on a mammogram and also raises the risk of developing breast cancer. Your breast tissue is not dense. Talk to your healthcare provider about breast density, risks for breast cancer, and your individual situation.”
Dense Breast Notification: “Breast tissue can be either dense or not dense. Dense tissue makes it harder to find breast cancer on a mammogram and also raises the risk of developing breast cancer. Your breast tissue is dense. In some people with dense tissue, other imaging tests in addition to a mammogram may help find cancers. Talk to your healthcare provider about breast density, risks for breast cancer, and your individual situation.”
“Breast density” describes the relative amount of fibroglandular tissue (white areas on mammograms) within the breast and varies among women. Dense tissue has a higher chance of hiding breast cancer, and women with dense breasts have a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Approximately 50% of women in the United States have dense breasts on mammogram (hetereogeneously dense or extremely dense).
