3D Mammograms Are Better For Dense Breasts

No option is perfect when it comes to mammography. That’s particularly true for women with dense breasts, who are burdened with a greater risk for cancer and tumors that are harder to find. But a new study shows that 3D mammograms can increase cancer detection in women with dense breasts.

The new research, presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), compared 3D mammography with full-field digital mammography (FFDM) to just FFDM on its own in 25,547 women between ages 50 and 69.

The 3D mammography screening method detected much more cancer than FFDM alone: 211 cancers compared to only 163. When it came to dense breasts, the 3D mammography and FFDM were able to identify 80% of the cancers, versus 59% via FFDM alone.

The new study is just the latest in a series of recent findings that support 3D mammography as a more accurate screening method for breast cancer. Prior research published this year has shown that 3D mammograms can save more lives, reduce medical costs and cut down on anxiety-inducing false positive results.