density masks appearance of tumors making detection difficult with mammography; since both dense breast tissue and cancer appear white on a mammogram, breast imagers use the analogy of finding a specific cloud in a cloudy sky; approximately 35 percent of breast cancer goes undetected by mammography in women with dense breasts According to a study published in JAMA (299(18):2151-2163, 5/14/2008), the addition of ultrasound for the screening of breast cancer significantly improves detection rates among women who have dense breast tissue

WHO: The following breast cancer survivors and breast imaging experts are available to discuss breast density and legislation to improve breast cancer detection:

JoAnn Pushkin, NY-based survivor/co-founder of Density Education National Survivors' Effort (DENSE) Nancy Cappello, CT-based survivor/founder of Are You Dense; co-founder, DENSE Rachel F. Brem, MD, professor of radiology, Breast Imaging and Interventional Center, George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, Washington DCDr Brem is principal investigator of the SOMO???INSIGHT study, a national multi-center clinical study designed to evaluate whether digital mammography in combination with the somo???v Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) system is more sensitive to detecting breast lesions when compared to digital mammography alone in women with dense breasts

Source: Density Education National Survivors