EON

New York — A new study has found that women who live in cities have denser breasts making them more likely to develop breast cancer.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Density of the breast decreases with age as woman lose one percent of their breast density each year on average.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women with dense breasts are at a five times greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to women with little dense tissue.

Dr. Nicholas M. Perry stated “Women living in cities need to pay more attention to having regular breast screening. Currently, women who live in urban areas are known to have lower attendance for breast screening programs than women in outlying areas.”

Among the urban women, 78% had dense breasts. This compared to 69% for rural women and 74% for suburban women.

The risk of increased density was highest in the 45-54 year-old group. It is not known why city women have denser breasts. Environmental factors are suspected though.