Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that atypical hyperplasia can increase one's risk of developing breast cancer by at least one percent per year.
Atypical hyperplasia of the breast is an abnormal increase in the number of cells in the breast. It isn't cancer yet, but it is known as an indication of the development of breast cancer. The condition doesn't show any symptoms so most of the time, patients discover it only after a biopsy. Doctors often recommend surgical removal of the abnormal cells and frequent screening for breast cancer after diagnosis.
Earlier studies found a link between atypical hyperplasia and breast cancer, but this study is the first to provide a time frame and risk percentage.
The researchers involved 698 women diagnosed with atypical hyperplasia and had undergone biopsy procedures at the Mayo Clinic between 1967 and 2001. The team looked at the medical data of the patients to determine who among them developed breast cancer, as well as the time it took to develop the disease. The analysis showed that 143 patients, or almost 21 percent, had developed breast cancer in an average of 12.5 years. That number climbed to 25 to 30 percent 25 years after the initial biopsy.
"By providing better risk prediction for this group, we can tailor a woman's clinical care to her individual level of risk," Dr. Lynn Hartmann, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study, said in a press release. "We need to do more for this population of women who are at higher risk, such as providing the option of MRI screenings in addition to mammograms and encouraging consideration of anti-estrogen therapies that could reduce their risk of developing cancer."
The researchers recommended that doctors prescribe anti-estrogen medications like tamoxifen to their patients with atypical hyperplasia to lower their risk of breast cancer by at least 50 percent.
This study was published in the Jan. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
