A pilot study of mammographic density patterns among Japanese women

Mammographic density patterns, which refer to the distribution of fat, connective, and epithelial tissue in the healthy female breast, have been shown to be related to breast cancer risk. We used a quantitative method to assess mammographic densities in 41 mammograms from women in Japan without a diagnosis of breast cancer. Information about reproductive behavior and family history for breast cancer was available from a questionnaire. The statistical analysis applied Spearman correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. The breast size as measured on the cranio-caudal view of the mammogram was approximately 12% larger, the size of the dense areas was 20% smaller, and the mean percent mammographic densities were 30% greater among premenopausal than among postmenopausal women. We found a strong relation between age at menarche and mammographic densities in premenopausal women and significant associations for age, family history of breast cancer, and age at menopause with mammographic densities in postmenopausal women. These preliminary data will be used to plan a future study that will compare mammographic density patterns and the relative importance of dietary, reproductive, and anthropometric factors between women in Japan and in the United States.