Ethnic differences in mammographic densities
Open Access
- 1 October 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in International Journal of Epidemiology
- Vol. 30 (5) , 959-965
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/30.5.959
Abstract
Background Breast cancer incidence is considerably lower among Japanese and Chinese women than among Caucasian and Native Hawaiian even in second and third generation migrants. Mammographic densities, which refer to the radiological appearance of the healthy female breast, are related to breast cancer risk. The purpose of this project was to explore the hypothesis that women from ethnic groups at high breast cancer risk are more likely to have high levels of densities than women from low breast cancer risk groups. Methods In a cross-sectional design, 514 pre- and post-menopausal women recruited at mammography screening clinics completed a self-administered questionnaire. We used a computer-assisted method to measure the dense and the total areas of the breast and to compute per cent breast density. Student's t-tests and multiple linear regression were applied to examine ethnic differences and to explore determinants of mammographic densities, respectively. Results The unadjusted mean dense area was 15% smaller in Chinese and Japanese women than in the Caucasian/Hawaiian group. However, because of their smaller breast size, the per cent of the breast occupied by dense tissue in Chinese and Japanese women was 20% higher than in Caucasian women. Body mass index, age, menopausal status, parity, and oestrogen therapy were associated with mammographic densities, but they did not account for all ethnic differences. Conclusions Whereas this study detected some ethnic differences in mammographic densities, the importance of dense areas and per cent densities as indicators of breast cancer risk in ethnically diverse populations remains to be clarified.Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Mammographic Densities and Breast Cancer RiskBreast Disease, 1998
- Effectiveness of Mammographic Screening for Breast Cancer in Women Aged over 50 Years in JapanJapanese Journal of Cancer Research, 1997
- The quantitative analysis of mammographic densitiesPhysics in Medicine & Biology, 1994
- Migration Patterns and Breast Cancer Risk in Asian-American WomenJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1993
- A comparison of mammographic parenchymal patterns in premenopausal Japanese and British womenBreast Cancer Research and Treatment, 1991
- Projecting Individualized Probabilities of Developing Breast Cancer for White Females Who Are Being Examined AnnuallyJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1989
- Population Marginal Means in the Linear Model: An Alternative to Least Squares MeansThe American Statistician, 1980
- Risk for breast cancer development determined by mammographic parenchymal patternCancer, 1976
- Changing Incidence of Breast Cancer in Japanese-American Women2JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1973
- Etiology of Human Breast Cancer: A Review2JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1973