Mammograms, primarily utilized for breast cancer screening, are increasingly being recognized for their ability to predict women's heart disease risk. This emerging dual-purpose application involves detecting calcifications in breast arteries (BAC) and coronary arteries (CAC), offering an opportunity to leverage an existing health screening to identify individuals at higher cardiovascular risk earlier and potentially initiate timely preventative care.
Research indicates that the presence of breast artery calcification (BAC) on mammograms is associated with a 50% to 60% increased risk of future heart attack or stroke, and it doubles the risk of death from heart disease. While BAC serves as an independent predictor, coronary artery calcification (CAC), a more direct indicator of cardiovascular disease, can also be detected on mammography images. A 2021 study by Dr. Matthew Budoff's group, published in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, highlighted this potential. Despite these observations being frequently made by radiologists, a lack of standardized reporting and subsequent follow-up protocols currently limits their clinical utility.
To integrate this assessment into routine practice, professional societies like the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Breast Imaging are starting to recommend including observations of BAC and CAC in mammography reports. Experts, including Dr. Laurie Margolies and Dr. Erin D. Michos, underscore the necessity for clinical trials to confirm whether consistent reporting and subsequent interventions based on these findings lead to improved patient cardiovascular outcomes, thereby enhancing women's overall health by linking breast cancer screening with cardiovascular risk assessment.
