Do the majority of Malaysian women have dense breasts on mammogram?
- Author:
Zulfiqar MA*
;
Rohazly I
;
Rahmah MA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Mammography, breast parenchymal patterns, breast density
- From:Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal
2011;7(2):1-6
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Purpose: To determine: (i) the mammographic parenchymal patterns in Malaysian women and whether the breasts
are dense on mammogram; (ii) the effect of age on breast density; (iii) the effect of parity on breast density; (iv) the
difference in breast parenchymal patterns among the major races of women in Malaysia.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 1,784 patients (981 Malays, 571 Chinese, 214 Indians and
18 others) who had undergone mammography during the 1-year study period. Majority of women (41.7%) were aged
between 51 and 60 years and majority (43%) had 3–4 children. The Tabar classification (Pattern I - V) was used to
evaluate breast parenchymal patterns on mammogram. Tabar Pattern I was further divided into 3 sub-groups (Pattern IA,
IB, and IC). The different patterns were then grouped into dense (IB, IC, IV, V) and not dense (IA, II, III) breasts. The
SPSS package was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Majority (59%) of Malaysian women had dense breasts (Pattern IB 29%, IC 20%, IV 5%, and V 5%) and
41% did not have dense breasts (Pattern IA 28%, II 6%, and III 7%). Age and parity were inversely related to breast
density (p < 0.0001). Chinese women (65.7%) had the highest percentage of dense breasts (p = 0.69, odds ratio = 1.22),
followed by the Indians (57.2%) and the Malays (50.5%).
Conclusion: Majority of women had dense breasts but Pattern IV, which has been associated with increased risk of
breast cancer, was seen in only 5% of the women. The breast density reduced steadily with increasing age and parity.
There was no statistically significant difference in breast density in the three main races.
- Full text:W020150914377209615956.pdf
