Mammographic breast pattern in Nigerian women in Ibadan, Nigeria

Mammographic breast density is dependent on the relative proportion of radiolucent fat and radio-dense connective and glandular tissue. This breast density is said to be a marker of risk for breast cancer and has received widespread interest in many countries in recent years.

The main objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of the various mammographic breast density patterns and seeks to find any association between the reported breast patterns and various demographic variables in women in Ibadan, South West Nigeria.

A prospective descriptive study of mammographic breast pattern in 498 women at the Department of Radiology, University College Hospital Ibadan. Two screening views and additional views when necessary were done on each breast with the Senographe DMR+ Mammographic Unit. Participants also completed an assisted administered questionnaire which was used to obtain data on their socio-demographic characteristics.

The study confirmed significant association with age and parity as in previous reports in the diaspora.

The study confirmed denser mammographic breast pattern in younger and nulliparous women. Future work on mammographic density and other variables is contemplated for complete cancer related data in our peculiar setting.