Deciphering the Breast Density Inform Law Movement: Implications for Practice

Although dense breast tissue is a normal and routine finding on screening mammography, dense breast tissue is associated with an independent increased risk for breast cancer. It is well known that screening mammography has a decreased sensitivity for cancer detection in women with dense breasts. Over the past decade, there has been increased interest generated among patients, physicians, and legislators regarding how best to screen dense-breasted women culminating in 2009 with the passage of a breast density notification law in Connecticut. Since that time, over half the United States has passed similar notification laws. Despite this, controversy remains as to the optimal supplemental screening modality to complement mammography as each imaging modality (digital breast tomosynthesis, whole breast ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, contrast-enhanced mammography, and molecular breast imaging) has variable benefits and limitations.