Differentiated breast screening may be on the way

Five percent of all screened women have very dense breast tissue, and there is good reason to be aware of this. Because they have 2.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer, but the dense tissue means that mammography only detects about half of the cancer cases.

The Breast Cancer Association wants to focus on the problem and wants differentiated screening.

"At the Breast Cancer Association, we think it is a problem that you can have breast cancer without it being detected by mammography. Half of those with dense breast tissue who have cancer will not be detected. So mammography is not a very good tool.

And the women even have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. It is the combination that makes it not right at all to do nothing. An individual screening program is needed," says Anja Skjoldborg Hansen, chairperson of the Breast Cancer Association.

Karin Friis Bach, who chairs the Health Committee in the Danish Regions, takes a positive view of differentiated screening:

"I absolutely think it makes sense to look at whether the current program for breast cancer screening can be differentiated, so that we find those who have the disease to an even greater extent, and that it happens as early as possible.

We can e.g. look at whether we can use resources better by offering fewer screenings for women at particularly low risk and at the same time more thorough screenings for women with different degrees of high risk, e.g. women with dense breast tissue. But before we change the program, it is important that we are sure that there is evidence that the new screening program will be better than the current one. That is why I am also looking forward to the results of the ongoing study of a possible future differentiated breast cancer screening," says Karin Friis Bach.

The right to information

But it's not just about screening, it's also about the right to information. Because there is no systematicity in the information women receive if they have dense breast tissue.

"Some get notified, while others don't," says Anja Skjoldbord Hansen, who believes that it should be in the record, and then it should be an offer to be told.

"That way, the women get the power back, because it's hard to do anything if you don't know," she says, highlighting that a Swedish study shows that 80 percent would like to know that they have dense breast tissue.

However, Karin Friis Bach does not believe that it is completely unproblematic that women with dense breast tissue receive that knowledge:

"Until a new screening program can be offered, where women with dense breast tissue are offered an extended screening compared to other women, I think the question is a bit difficult to answer. So must the "public" par tout disturb citizens who live a good and carefree life with information that makes them uneasy - when at the same time there is no offer that can help them? It is not something we have discussed in Danske

Regions, but my own position is probably that as a politician I will respect the people's own wishes. That is that women can be informed about the importance of dense breast tissue, but must decide for themselves whether they want to receive that information or not."