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Cancer Epidemiology pp 343–360Cite as

Mammographic Density: A Heritable Risk Factor for Breast Cancer

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 472))

Abstract

The appearance of the breast on mammography varies among women, reflecting variations in tissue composition. Stroma and epithelium attenuate x-rays more than fat and appear light on a mammogram, which we refer to here as “ mammographic density, ” while fat appears dark. We show evidence that mammographic density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer, and that risk of breast cancer is four to five times greater in women with density in more than 75% of the breast, compared with those with little or no density. Density in more than 50% of the breast may account for a large proportion of breast cancers.

Density is influenced by age, parity, body mass index, and menopause but these factors account for only 20 – 30% of the variation in density in the population. Twin studies have shown that percent mammographic density, at a given age, is highly heritable, and that inherited factors explain 63% of the variance. Mammographic density has the characteristics of a quantitative trait, and may be influenced by genes that are easier to identify than those associated with breast cancer itself. The genes that influence mammographic density may also be associated with risk of breast cancer, and their identification is also likely to provide insights into the biology of the breast, and to identify potential targets for preventive strategies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Canada

    Norman F. Boyd, Lisa J. Martin & Salomon Minkin

  2. Program in Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

    Johanna M. Rommens

  3. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Andrew D. Paterson

  4. Imaging Research, Sunnybrook and Women's Health Sciences Centre, and Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Martin J. Yaffe

  5. Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic and Analytic Epidemiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Jennifer Stone & John L. Hopper

Authors
  1. Norman F. Boyd
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  2. Lisa J. Martin
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  3. Johanna M. Rommens
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  4. Andrew D. Paterson
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  5. Salomon Minkin
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  6. Martin J. Yaffe
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  7. Jennifer Stone
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  8. John L. Hopper
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA

    Mukesh Verma PhD

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© 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Boyd, N.F. et al. (2009). Mammographic Density: A Heritable Risk Factor for Breast Cancer. In: Verma, M. (eds) Cancer Epidemiology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 472. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-492-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-492-0_15

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60327-491-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-492-0

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