Kathy J. Schilling, MD, a radiologist at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, discusses the importance of additional screening for women with dense breasts.

Mammograms are an effective breast cancer screening method for most women. However, cancer cannot be as easily detected in those with highly dense breast tissue, which can lead to false negatives.

Patients with dense breasts already have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, so alternative screen methods must be utilized for these patients.

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Dr. Schilling on  Dense Breast Tissue Detection Methods

Kathy Schilling, MD, radiologist, Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, discusses screening methods for breast cancer.

The standard screening tool for breast cancer is mammography, Schilling says. A mammography can reduce a woman’s likelihood of dying from breast cancer by up to 36%. Women begin getting annual screens at age 40; this has been the standard procedure for 30 years, Schilling says.

However, Schilling adds that approximately 40,000 women die annually from breast cancer. There are subgroups of patients where mammography is not enough. Schilling mentions other screening tools such as ultrasounds and molecular breast imaging.

Schilling says these additional tests should be offered to patients. It is important for radiologists and mammographers to identify what a patient’s risk level is, in order to determine what her personal screening regimen should be.

Kathy Schilling, MD, radiologist, Christine E. Lynn Women's Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, discusses screening methods for breast cancer.

Kathy J. Schilling, MD

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