Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a common phenomenon that can cause painful or swollen breasts at certain times during the menstrual cycle. Fibroglandular density refers to scattered areas of density in the breast, which is normal tissue seen in combination with fat. However, some people experience pain or discomfort, especially before and during their menstrual cycles . Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is not a disease, and it does not require treatment. Factors associated with lower breast density include increasing age having children and using tamoxifen. Caffeine can make the symptoms (tenderness and lumpiness) worse. Extremely dense: The breasts have . It occurs in 90% of women by age 40 and does not increase the risk of breast cancer. B Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but most breast tissue is nondense. Dense breasts are quite common: About 40 percent of women have heterogeneously dense breasts, and 10 percent have extremely dense breasts. Dense breast tissue, or fibroglandular density, can make it harder to detect breast cancer, putting women with dense breasts at a higher risk. This is not significant. She explains more below. Download as PowerPoint Open in Image Viewer Figure 2d. Your breasts look the same (they are symmetrical) with no masses (lumps), distorted structures, or suspicious calcifications. People with a family history of dense breast tissue or scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are more likely to have it. There are genetic, neonatal, reproductive, hormonal, lifestyle, dietary, nutritional and environmental factors that can increase breast density. Does Fibroglandular density cause pain? What causes scattered Fibroglandular densities? Many women have fibroglandular elements, scattered or otherwise. About 4 in 10 women have this result. Scattered fibroglandular tissue refers to the density and composition of your breasts. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue has breasts made up mostly of nondense, fatty. B- Scattered fibroglandular densities: Your breasts have more fatty tissues and a considerable quantity of fibroglandular tissues. When the fibroglandular tisue is mentioned specifically, it means that some fibrous and glandular tissue are very close together forming fibroglandular elements. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a common phenomenon that can cause painful or swollen breasts at certain times during the menstrual cycle. About 40 percent of women have this result. Dozens of studies that have evaluated the association between breast density and breast cancer have found a four-to-six times greater likelihood of developing cancer in the densest category than in the least dense category. Scattered fibroglandular tissue refers to the density and composition of your breasts. And some think that having dense breasts is linked to a higher relation to breast cancer. b) Scattered fibroglandular densities c) Heterogeneously dense d) Extremely dense. The exact cause of breast cancer is. . A-Mostly fatty: Your breasts have more fatty tissues than fibrous and glandular tissues. The level of thickness is controlled by the mammogram. Only an imaging test can do that. The more fibroglandular tissue you have, the denser your breasts. Some women have very little dense tissue compared to fatty. Radiologists use a scale based on the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) to classify your breast tissue as more fatty or more dense. Breast tissue density is detected during a screening mammogram. They also have fibrous tissue that helps connect. Unfortunately, I had my period that time and the doctor concluded that it was nothing. twin studies show that breast density is highly heritable, with inherited factors accounting for 63% of cases Genetic Factors that Increase Breast Density. There are four descriptors for breast density on mammography in the 5 th edition of BI-RADS 1,2:. With age, the breasts tend to become less dense. Definition. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue has breasts made up mostly of nondense, fatty. With age, the breasts tend to become less dense. These normally present an even appearance in a mammogram. This may also suggest that the radiologist wants to compare your new mammogram with older ones to see if there have been changes in the area over time. Facts about fibroglandular tissue in breasts. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue has breasts made up mostly of non-dense tissue with some areas of dense tissue. Heterogeneously dense: Most of the breast is dense tissue with some areas of fat. Hi, I am sorry you are going through this. When this type of tissue is present in the breasts one or both of the breasts may be tender, and you may also feel lumps within the breast tissue. The mammographic breast density categories 19 are: almost entirely fat (<25% fibroglandular tissue); scattered fibroglandular densities (approximately 25%-50% fibroglandular tissue); heterogeneously dense (approximately 51%-75% fibroglandular tissue); and, extremely dense (>75% fibroglandular tissue). On this second occasion, they found a focal area of fibroglandular tissue in the axillary tail region of my right breast - towards the upper part of armpit. About 1 in 10 women has this result. Fibroglandular density refers to scattered areas of density in the . Other women have more dense tissue compared to fatty. Causes of Increased Breast Density. It can significantly vary between individuals and within individuals over a lifetime. Scattered areas of fibroglandular density. This means that you have moderately dense tissue, which is common and not a cause for concern. It is not cancer and does not usually pose a health problem, but having lumps in the breast can increase anxiety about cancer. For this study, a single radiologist . There are scattered areas of fibroglandular density, as defined by the visually estimated content of fibroglandular-density tissue within the breast, based on updated editions of the American College of Radiology''s Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). Extremely dense (greater than 75% glandular) About 4 out of 5 women are rated 2 or 3, about 10% are rated 1, and 10% are rated 4. The proportion of fat to fibrous tissue will change as a result, and there will be less fibroglandular breast tissue. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a benign or noncancerous condition that can cause one or both breasts to feel lumpy. . Heterogeneously dense (approximately 51-75 percent glandular) Extremely dense (more than 75 percent glandular). As the amount of fibroglandular tissue increases, there's a decrease in fatty tissue. 3.6k views Reviewed >2 years ago Thank Classification. About 40 percent of women have this type of breast tissue. Breast density is a measurement of the amount of connective, or fibroglandular tissue, as compared to fatty tissue in your breasts. About 40 percent of women have this type of breast tissue. It is not cancer and does not usually pose a health problem, but having lumps in the breast can increase anxiety about cancer. People with a family history of dense breast tissue or scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are more likely to have it. Fibroglandular tissue in breasts is a very common condition and is known as Fibrocystic Breast Disease. The more fibro-glandular tissue, the denser the breast. The term scattered fibroglandular tissue describes breasts that are mostly fatty tissue but contain some pockets of denser fibrous and glandular tissue. A physical examination isn't able to accurately determine your breast tissue density. Heterogeneously dense breast tissue (51-75%) 4. A high proportion of fibrous and glandular tissue to fatty tissue. a: the breasts are almost entirely fatty; b: there are scattered areas of fibroglandular density What does it mean scattered Fibroglandular densities? It can be hard for radiologists to find cancer, which often also look light grey or white, in areas that are dense. The words used in the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), of course, are 'scattered areas of fibroglandular density'. This disease is characterized by having fibroglandular tissue present in the breast. (c, d) Right MLO (c) and craniocaudal (d) mammographic views obtained during lactation show an increase in breast density owing to lactational changes. A mammogram can determine if you have dense breast tissue, giving you and your doctor the information you need to make decisions about your breast health. . Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is one of the middle rankings. It is a common type of breast tissue, and for most people, the benign lumps cause no issues. When you have scattered fibroglandular breast tissue, it means that your breasts still contain mostly fatty tissue, but a few areas of fibroglandular tissue are visible on your mammogram. With age, the breasts tend to become less dense. Breast density refers to the amount of fibroglandular tissue in a breast relative to fat. Category B. Breasts can be almost entirely fatty (A), have scattered areas of dense fibroglandular breast tissue (B), have many areas of glandular and connective tissue (C), or be extremely dense (D). Every woman's breasts have milk ducts and lobules, the glandular tissue. Hope this answers your question. It is harder to see some breast cancers in dense breasts. The levels of density are often recorded in your mammogram report using letters: A This level indicates that the breasts are almost entirely composed of fat. When a radiologist reads your mammogram, she defines your breast density as being one of four categories. This is a normal test result. It can be painful if cysts develop. About 40% of females have this type of. Scattered areas of density: Most of the breast is fat, but some areas are dense. A recent study finds that higher breast density also boosts the risk of some aggressive types of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, reports the October 2011 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch. Each woman has a unique mix of fatty and dense tissue in her breasts. It occurs in 90% of women by age 40 and does not increase the risk of breast cancer. Breast parenchyma is classified as scattered fibroglandular (BI-RADS category b). If no one has explained what Fibroglandular density is, in a nutshell, it means you have dense breasts scattered in spots in the breast. The first time, nothing came up. (These scores are only estimates, however, based on the radiologists' observations of the images, not by precise . Densities in levels c and d are considered dense breasts, says Pinsky. Learn About Your Breast Density: Fatty tissue is fundamentally dark on the mammogram and fibro-glandular tissue is white. We heard that some facilities weren't defining that term, and that women were seeing the word 'density' and thinking that meant they had dense breasts." Scattered fibroglandular tissue refers to the density and composition of your breasts. Caffeine can make the symptoms (tenderness and lumpiness) worse. [Dr. Hotaling] Breast density refers to the relative amount of glandular and fibrous tissue (fibroglandular tissue) that each woman has in her breasts compared with the amount of fatty tissue present. Breasts are classified as "dense" if they fall in the heterogeneously dense (C) or extremely dense (D) categories. Skip to content It is caused by the changes in the breast each month and the regression of those changes when we don't conceive. Most women's breasts are somewhere in-between. NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms provides easy-to-understand definitions for words and phrases related to cancer and medicine. My mammogram described my breasts as being "heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses." What does that mean? About 4 in . [from NCI] The proportion of fat to fibrous tissue will change as a result, and there will be less fibroglandular breast tissue. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue . 1. About 40 percent . Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a noncancerous condition that can cause lumps Is it good or bad to have scattered Fibroglandular density in breast? The proportion of fat to fibrous tissue will change as a result, and there will be less fibroglandular breast tissue. It's the most common cancer in women, although it can also develop in men. Breasts are made out of both fatty tissue and fibro-glandular tissue (see image). Breast cancer is the uncontrollable growth of malignant cells in the breasts. What does Scattered Fibroglandular Densities Mean? BI-RADS ranks your fibroglandular density on a scale from A to D, with A being the least dense and D being the most dense. Using data from the Nurses' Health Study, Harvard researchers found that the link between breast density and breast cancer was stronger for . Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a common phenomenon that can cause painful or swollen breasts at certain times during the menstrual cycle. Hope this answers your question. 40% of women have scattered fibroglandular densities. What causes scattered Fibroglandular densities? Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a benign or noncancerous condition that can cause one or both breasts to feel lumpy. It is not cancer and does not usually pose a health problem, but having lumps in the breast can increase anxiety about cancer. About 1 in 10 women has this result. The breast has a mix of fatty tissue which appears dark grey or black, and scattered dense (fibroglandular) tissue which looks light grey or white. Those categories rank your density, A - D: Heterogeneously dense indicates that some areas of non-dense tissue were found, but the majority of the breast tissue is dense. Negative. The more glands and fibrous tissue a woman has (also called "fibroglandular" tissue), the "denser" her breast tissue. Scattered fibroglandular densities (25-50%) 3. Scattered areas of fibroglandular density means areas of density have been detected around the breast, but the majority of the breast tissue is not dense. People with a family history of dense breast tissue or scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are more likely to have it. Scattered fibroglandular tissue refers to the density and composition of your breasts. I am however, now experiencing pain and it the area has thickened . Having a more dense breast composition (high fibroglandular density) makes it more challenging to detect cancer in a mammogram. What causes scattered Fibroglandular densities? Let me explain why. B: Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but the majority of the breast tissue is nondense. This happens to about 10% of women. It is caused by the changes in the breast each month and the regression of those changes when we don't conceive. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue has breasts made up mostly of nondense, fatty tissue with some areas of dense tissue.