HEALTH
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A Dense Diagnosis Having dense breasts increases your risk of breast cancer and makes tumours harder to find. Doctors explain the puzzle behind this common condition. BY JACKIE MIDDLETON
J
PHOTOGRAPHY, GENEVIÈVE CARON. HAIR AND MAKEUP, ANIYA NANDY/PLUTINO GROUP
ust when you thought you were up to speed on breast cancer risk factors, a new game changer has physicians and clinicians talking: dense breasts. Misunderstood and often incorrectly associated with bumpy, hard or occasionally sore breasts, dense tissue is more worrisome than you think.
WHAT ARE DENSE BREASTS? Your breasts are comprised of three types of tissue: fat, epithelium (the glands and ducts that produce milk) and stroma (supporting tissue). Breasts with a higher ratio of epithelium and stroma to fat are considered dense. According to Dr. Norman Boyd, senior scientist at the Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, women with dense breasts have this tissue ratio
OCTOBER 2014 | CANADIANLIVING.COM
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