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American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on April 2, 2008
American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwn062
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American Journal of Epidemiology © The Author 2008. Published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Invited Commentary: Assessing Breast Density Change—Lessons for Future Studies

Celia Byrne

From the Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology Program, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Correspondence to Dr. Celia Byrne, Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology Program, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, S-148 Lombardi Building (LL), 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057-1465 (e-mail: cb252{at}georgetown.edu).

Received for publication December 17, 2007. Accepted for publication February 26, 2008.

Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk, and quantitative measurement is fairly reproducible. However, to study change in breast density, other issues should also be considered. Most studies of breast density have relied on one assessment, yet the mammographic features of the breast that constitute breast density change with age and/or menopause. When measuring breast density change, issues related to assessment are of greater concern. In addition, because age-period and cohort effects are codefined, evaluation of age trends must also consider the possible explanations of period and cohort effects. The prevalence of different factors affecting breast density changed dramatically over the last 50 years. In this issue of the Journal (Am J Epidemiol 2008;167:000–00), Kelemen et al. evaluate how factors known to be related to breast density influence breast density change with age. These authors are to be complimented on their detailed analysis and consideration of many of these issues. They not only describe the averaged effects of age on breast density changes but also consider whether patterns of density change differ for women with different exposure histories.

breast; mammography; radiographic image interpretation, computer-assisted; risk factors

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; PMH, postmenopausal hormone


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