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4 min readRecent research suggests that breast arterial calcification (BAC) picked up on routine mammograms may help predict a woman’s risk of stroke, heart failure, and dying from a cardiac-related cause.Experts say that when calcium appears in one part of the vascular system, it often signals similar changes elsewhere, including the heart arteries.While more research is needed, the findings may eventually allow women to get screened for breast cancer and heart disease in one session.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s admittedly a pain to get a mammogram<\/a>. You have to book an appointment, carve time out of your day to go, and wait in the lobby for a while, all to get more insight into your breast health<\/a>. But new research suggests you might get some information on a different part of your body from undergoing this test.<\/p>\n Two new recent studies suggest that mammogram results could give you important information about your heart disease<\/a> risk. \u201cThis imaging test is being obtained already for screening,\u201d points out Matthew Nudy, MD<\/a>, co-author of the studies and assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to gather new information from the mammogram.\u201d <\/p>\n Here\u2019s what the research found, plus what your mammogram results may suggest about your heart health. <\/p>\n Meet the experts: Navjot Sobti, MD,<\/a> is an interventional cardiologist at Northwell\u2019s Northern Westchester Hospital. Richard Reitherman, MD, PhD<\/a>, is a radiologist and medical director of breast imaging at MemorialCare Breast Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. Cheng-Han Chen, MD<\/a>, is an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. Matthew Nudy, MD<\/a>, is the study co-author and assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine.<\/p>\n What did the research find?<\/p>\n One of the two studies, which was published in the American Journal of Cardiology,<\/a> analyzed breast arterial calcification (BAC), which is the hardening of smaller blood vessels in the breast, picked up on routine mammograms. The researchers discovered that women with breast arterial calcification had a higher risk of stroke, heart failure, and dying from a cardiac-related cause compared to those without the calcification. <\/p>\n In the other study<\/a>, not yet published, but which Dr. Nudy recently presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting, researchers analyzed data from more than 10,000 women with the average age of 56 who had a series of mammograms an average of 4.1 years apart. <\/p>\n More on Heart Health<\/p>\n The team used AI software (which was made by a company that provided funding for the study) to analyze the images and see if there was breast calcification and, if so, how severe it was. The researchers detected calcification in more than 19% of participants at baseline, noting that those who had higher levels of calcium buildup in the arteries over time had a higher risk of having a serious heart-related event. <\/p>\n In women with higher levels of calcification, the risk increased up to two times higher than those without it. The researchers also found that the calcification can get worse over time, even within a year. <\/p>\n People who didn\u2019t have calcification in their breast arteries in the first mammogram had the lowest risk of progression. But if calcium was spotted in a follow-up mammogram, they had a 41% higher risk of a cardiovascular event and death during the 5.6 year average follow-up. Those who had mild calcification in the original mammogram and progressed to a higher level of calcification had a 59% higher risk of a heart event. That risk jumped to 93% in people who started with moderate calcification and progressed to the severe category. <\/p>\n What\u2019s behind this link?<\/p>\n Your breast arteries can offer insight into your heart’s arteries. \u201cBreast arterial calcification reflects gradual aging and stiffening of blood vessels, rather than a sudden blockage,\u201d says Navjot Sobti, MD,<\/a> interventional cardiologist at Northwell\u2019s Northern Westchester Hospital. \u201cThat matters because when calcium appears in one part of the vascular system, it often signals similar changes elsewhere, including the heart arteries.”<\/p>\n The breast\u2019s arteries can provide a \u201cwindow\u201d into blood vessel health throughout the body, Dr. Sobti says. <\/p>\n But this is all preliminary and having breast arterial calcification doesn\u2019t automatically mean you have heart disease, points out Cheng-Han Chen, MD<\/a>, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. \u201cMore research is needed to determine the association,\u201d he says. What should women do with this information?<\/p>\n
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