Breast Imaging in Transgender Patients

In the United States, at least 1.4 million adults identify as transgender. Despite growing national awareness, the transgender population experiences disparities in breast care access and breast health outcomes. One of the challenges of breast care delivery to transgender patients is the lack of evidence-based screening guidelines, which is likely partly due to the infrequency of transgender breast cancer cases. Several gender-affirming hormonal and surgical interventions are available that impact the imaging appearance of the breasts and the risk of breast cancer. Breast imaging radiologists should be familiar with the imaging appearance of expected findings and potential complications following gender-affirming interventions. It has been shown that the incidence of breast cancer in transgender women is higher than in natal males but still lower than in natal females, implying that estrogen supplementation confers an increased breast cancer risk. It is proposed that transgender women follow the screening guidelines for natal females if they have risk factors for breast cancer and received hormone therapy for > 5 years. However, further research is necessary, especially in transgender women who have no risk factors or received hormone therapy for ≤ 5 years. The breast cancer risk of presurgical transgender men is considered equivalent to that of natal females, but the risk markedly decreases following bilateral mastectomy. It is proposed that transgender men follow the screening guidelines for natal females if they have any preserved breast tissue, or that they undergo annual chest wall and axillary physical exam if they are status post bilateral mastectomy.