NIH Radio
Risk Factors for Breast Cancer Before Disease Appears – 3
Narrator: This is NIH Health Matters. Women’s breasts tend to get more dense as they age, making it harder to distinguish breast cancer risk from the onset of age-related fatty tissue.
Dr. Sherman: At younger ages, there’s maybe a wider spectrum of density, and that may have a good value for predicting future risk.
Narrator: Dr. Mark Sherman at the National Cancer Institute says breast density is one risk factor that if studied in younger women, would help predict risk in older women.
Dr. Sherman: We're basically trying to assess people’s risk for cancer based on age, pretty much age exclusively. And while that’s a strong indicator of risk, it’s not particularly a very good indicator of risk.
Narrator: For more information on breast cancer risk factors, visit www.cancer.gov. Health Matters is produced by the National Institutes of Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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