The Facts

• According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed (non-skin) cancer among women, and the second leading cause of cancer death among women.
  
  

Features

• Dense breasts have less fat and more glandular and connective tissue, which can make tumors hard to locate during a mammogram.
  
  

Risk Factors

• Known risk factors for breast cancer include a high-fat diet, early onset of menstruation, late onset of menopause, and having a first child after age 40 or never having children. The American Cancer Society estimates that only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases occur in women who are genetically predisposed to the disease.
  
  

Research

• Studies published in the September 6, 2006, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute identified breast density as an important risk factor for developing breast cancer.
  
  

Considerations

• The National Cancer Institute recommends that women with dense breasts have digital mammograms instead of film mammograms, because the film is difficult to interpret when breasts are dense.