Characterization of breast density in women from Lima, Peru

Data from GLOBOCAN show that around 4,000 Peruvian women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. From these new cases, the clinical presentation of 36% corresponded to advanced stages (III and IV). Therefore, there is an urgent need to strengthen current screening and early detection strategies. The American College of Radiology (ACR) breast density classification is a risk assessment and quality assurance tool in mammography to standardize and facilitate report to non-radiologists. In our sample of Peruvian women, we found that 45.3% of women have a breast density classified as ACR II, 32.3% as ACR I, 19.7% as ACR III and only 2.7% as ACR IV. Also, premenopausal women are more likely to have breast density types ACR III and IV than postmenopausal women. These results show certain similarity to other populations showing that most breast densities are classified as ACR I and II, but shows a unique distribution when taking into account all four ACR types. Our results are consistent with epidemiological evidence suggesting that the Peruvian population may have a different stratification of risk based on its particular genetic and/or ethnic background. The present work will aid to develop novel strategies for screening and early detection of breast malignancies.