C: Heterogeneously dense indicates that there are some areas of nondense tissue, but that the majority of the breast . Scattered fibroglandular densities means that your breasts are not dense. Pitting breast skin. Breast density is a measurement of the amount of connective, or fibroglandular tissue, as compared to fatty tissue in your breasts. c. The breasts are heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses. Women with a high proportion of fibrous connective tissue and glandular tissue . Iowa. There are scattered areas of fibroglandular . The first 2 are considered not dense; the latter 2 are considered dense. I had a mammogram and it showed scattered areas of fibroglandular breast tissue density. Knowledge of one's fibroglandular breast density is important, because high density increases the risk of cancer and decreases the accuracy of mammograms. It means that the breasts are mostly comprised of fatty tissue but have some dense . . What is Fibroglandular density category B? Do I need another mamm in about 6 months or can i resume normal annual screening? The four breast density categories are shown in this image. Caffeine can make the symptoms (tenderness and lumpiness) worse. It can be hard for radiologists to find cancer, which often also look light grey or white, in areas that are dense. Common: This is also known as fibrocystic breast change and is extremely common. About 4 in . The breast tissue is extremely dense. It is harder to see some breast cancers in dense breasts. This means that you have moderately dense tissue, which is common and not a cause for concern. 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." These normally present an even appearance in a mammogram. A woman with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue has breasts made up 40% of women have scattered fibroglandular densities. There are scattered areas of fibroglandular density. a: the breasts are almost entirely fatty; b: there are scattered areas of fibroglandular density It's common, affecting about 40 percent of women. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a common phenomenon that can cause painful or swollen breasts at certain times during the menstrual cycle. About 4 in 10 women have this result. The proportion of fat to fibrous tissue will change as a result, and there will be less fibroglandular breast tissue. Dense Breast Tissue May Make Detecting Cancer Harder. . The breast density-breast cancer connection. This type of cancer also changes the appearance of your breasts. The proportions vary between individuals. One of the strongest known risk factors for breast cancer is high breast density that is, relatively little fat in the breast and more connective and glandular tissue, as seen on . Thank. Having dense breast tissue makes tumors harder to see on mammograms and is also an independent risk factor for breast cancer. 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. Category B. Categories C and D are considered to be dense breasts: Class A (or 1): Fatty; Class B (or 2): Scattered fibroglandular density Knowing your fibroglandular density is important because mammograms are less able to reliably detect cancer in breasts with mostly dense breast tissue, compared with those . B Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but most breast tissue is nondense. Breasts are classified as "dense" if they fall in the heterogeneously dense (C) or extremely . This may lower the sensitivity of mammography (>75% glandular) a. The test in big breasts is identifying little cancers while screening. It can be painful if cysts develop. 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). d. The breasts are extremely dense, which lowers the sensitivity of mammography. About 1 in 10 women has this result. 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. 4.9k views Reviewed >2 years ago. My mammogram described my breasts as being "heterogeneously dense, which may obscure small masses." What does that mean? Doctor's Assistant: What steps have you taken so far? Hi, I am sorry you are going through this. Classification. 4. NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms provides easy-to-understand definitions for words and phrases related to cancer and medicine. 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. About 4 in 10 women have this result. C: Heterogeneously dense indicates that there are some areas of nondense tissue . This is evaluated by the radiologist interpreting your mammogram. Only about 10% of . Scattered fibroglandular tissue refers to the density and composition of your breasts. Is it bad to have Fibroglandular density? The breasts are almost entirely fatty b. What causes scattered Fibroglandular densities? D: Extremely dense indicates that nearly all of the breast tissue is dense. Female breasts contain fibrous and fatty tissue. you might move to scattered fibroglandular density. People with a family history of dense breast tissue or scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are more likely to have it. It will be easier to see any abnormalities on your images. A: Almost entirely fatty indicates that the breasts are almost entirely composed of fat. 0. Women over age 40 are about evenly split between having dense and non-dense breasts, with most falling into one of the middle two categories (scattered or heterogeneous density.) And some think that having dense breasts is linked to a higher relation to breast cancer. B: Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but the majority of the breast tissue is nondense. Can Fibroglandular be cancerous? Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a term describing the composition of a person's breasts. Scattered areas of fibroglandular density. There are four categories of breast density that a radiologist uses when analyzing a mammogram. About 1 in 10 women has this result. When a radiologist reads your mammogram, she defines your breast density as being one of four categories. Scattered areas of fibroglandular density. Female breasts contain fibrous and fatty tissue. A 2014 research review found that, compared to women with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue, the risk of breast cancer in women with heterogeneously dense breast tissue increased modestly by . Breast density refers to the amount of fibrous and glandular tissue that appears on a woman's mammogram. This is not significant. . Fibroglandular density measures how much of your breast tissue is made of fibrous connective tissue and glandular tissue. The words used in the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), of course, are 'scattered areas of fibroglandular density'. Having fibroglandular breast tissue does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer, but it may make changes harder to spot. I recommend that all women consider 3D mammography. Hope this answers your question. It can be painful if cysts develop. They also decrease the callback rate. 1,585. Learn how we can help. Roughly half of all women have dense breasts, so it's a very common issue and that does not mean that cancer is a concern. There are four descriptors for breast density on mammography in the 5 th edition of BI-RADS 1,2:. About 80% of . Community radiologists at each site classified breast density on screening mammograms as part of routine clinical practice using the four American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) density categories : almost entirely fat (low density); scattered fibroglandular densities (average density); heterogeneously . A-Mostly fatty: Your breasts have more fatty tissues than fibrous and glandular tissues. B: Scattered areas of fibroglandular density indicates there are some scattered areas of density, but the majority of the breast tissue is nondense. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a noncancerous condition that can cause lumps Is it good or bad to have scattered Fibroglandular density in breast? 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 . It is caused by the changes in the breast each month and the regression of those changes when we don't conceive. Summary. b. Scattered - more fat than glandular tissue; Heterogeneously Dense - mostly dense tissue or areas of very . B- Scattered fibroglandular densities: Your breasts have more fatty tissues and a considerable quantity of fibroglandular tissues. The more fibroglandular tissue you have, the denser your breasts. . Breast density is a measure of the amount of fatty tissue (fat) and fibroglandular tissue (glands, like milk ducts and milk lobules, and fibrous tissue) in the breast. . It matters because laws vary by location. Women whose breasts appear dense on mammograms have a higher risk for some aggressive breast cancers. These types of breast tissue are considered dense. Fibroglandular density refers to scattered areas of density in the breast, which is normal tissue seen in combination with fat. Generally speaking, women with scattered fibroglandular breast tissue are at a lower chance of breast cancer than women with dense breasts. In your case, you fell into category b, which is technically . You may notice dimpling or pitting, and . Scattered Fibroglandular Mostly fatty with some fibrous and glandular tissue mixed in; . Ladies with fat and scattered fibroglandular breasts don't need extra imaging. With age, the breasts tend to become less dense. The fatty tissue on a mammogram appears dark. Skip to content Breast density refers to the amount of fibroglandular tissue in a breast relative to fat. From most to least dense, the terminology the radiologist uses may be: Extremely dense, heterogeneously dense, scattered areas of fibroglandular density, or almost entirely fatty. About 4 in 10 women have this result. Many women have fibroglandular elements, scattered or otherwise. A rash isn't the only visual symptom of inflammatory breast cancer. Breasts are isolated into 4 classifications in light of the extent of big and thick tissue on the mammogram: fatty, scattered fibro glandular, heterogeneously thick, and thick. When the fibroglandular tisue is mentioned specifically, it means that some fibrous and glandular tissue are very close together forming fibroglandular elements. 3D Mammography has a lower false-positive rate than 2D mammograms. But you won't go from extremely dense to fatty." She . 3D mammography improves cancer detection in all breast densities - especially for women with high (heterogeneously) fibroglandular density. The proportions vary between individuals. Scattered fibroglandular densities (approximately 25-50 percent glandular) Heterogeneously dense (approximately 51-75 percent glandular) . Women with a high proportion of fibrous connective tissue and glandular tissue to fatty . My results of mamm were normal. This happens to about 10% of women. If no one has explained what Fibroglandular density is, in a nutshell, it means you have dense breasts scattered in spots in the breast. Those categories rank your density, A - D: Doctor's Assistant: What state are you in? Class B (or 2): Scattered fibroglandular density; Class C (or 3): Heterogeneously dense; Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a benign or noncancerous condition that can cause one or both breasts to feel lumpy. It can be hard for radiologists to find cancer, which often also look light grey or white, in areas that are dense. 0. It can significantly vary between individuals and within individuals over a lifetime. October 1, 2011. . Dense breast tissue, or fibroglandular density, can make it harder to detect breast cancer, putting women with dense breasts at a higher risk. The American College of. Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone. Scattered fibroglandular breast tissue is a benign or noncancerous condition that can cause one or both breasts to feel lumpy. Category B. The fibrous and glandular breast tissue seen on a mammogram is white. It occurs in 90% of women by age 40 and does not increase the risk of breast cancer.