Quantification of glands and fat in breast tissue: An experimental determination

Vandeweyer, Eric; Hertens, Dina

doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80016-4

Cited by 73 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…With the exception of studies that have used mastectomy specimens 18,19 and breast cadavers 20 , most breast density studies are restricted in performing multimodality comparisons and correlative investigations, which can mainly inform on the relative performance but not on the actual accuracy of the obtained measures. Ideally, the obtained density estimates should pass the "Turing Test" in that the resulting measures should be indistinguishable from ground-truth and all tests performed and statistics calculated on these measures should be equivalent to what would result if the actual ground-truth measures of density were used.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of volumetric breast density estimation in digital mammography and magnetic resonance imaging: results from a high-risk population

et al. 2010

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We performed a study to compare methods for volumetric breast density estimation in digital mammography (DM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for a high-risk population of women. DM and MRI images of the unaffected breast from 32 women with recently detected abnormalities and/or previously diagnosed breast cancer (age range 31-78 yrs, mean 50.3 yrs) were retrospectively analyzed. DM images were analyzed using Quantra TM (Hologic Inc). The MRI images were analyzed using a fuzzy-C-means segmentation algorithm on the T 1 map. Both methods were compared to Cumulus (Univ. Toronto). Volumetric breast density estimates from DM and MRI are highly correlated (r=0.90, p≤0.001). The correlation between the volumetric and the area-based density measures is lower and depends on the training background of the Cumulus software user (r=0.73-84, p≤0.001). In terms of absolute values, MRI provides the lowest volumetric estimates (mean=14.63%), followed by the DM volumetric (mean=22.72%) and area-based measures (mean=29.35%). The MRI estimates of the fibroglandular volume are statistically significantly lower than the DM estimates for women with very low-density breasts (p≤0.001). We attribute these differences to potential partial volume effects in MRI and differences in the computational aspects of the image analysis methods in MRI and DM. The good correlation between the volumetric and the area-based measures, shown to correlate with breast cancer risk, suggests that both DM and MRI volumetric breast density measures can aid in breast cancer risk assessment. Further work is underway to fully-investigate the association between volumetric breast density measures and breast cancer risk.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of volumetric breast density estimation in digital mammography and magnetic resonance imaging: results from a high-risk population

et al. 2010

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“…Breast tissue is a complex consisting of mammary ducts and glands, connective and AT as well as lymphatics (Birkenfeld and Kase, 1994). AT content of breast volume ranges from 7 to 70% with an average of B60%, but with large interindividual variations (Cruz-Korchin et al, 2002;Vandeweyer and Hertens, 2002;Boston et al, 2005). Although we were not able to use a specific receiver coil (Hussain et al, 1999), the resolution of the MRI images was high enough to exclude mammary ducts and glands.…”

Section: Is Brat An Indicator For a High-risk Phenotype Of Fat Distrimentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between breast adipose tissue, body fat distribution and cardiometabolic risk in women: cross-sectional data and weight-loss intervention

et al. 2011

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Background/Objectives: Recent studies have shown that a high breast volume predicts visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and risk for type 2 diabetes independently of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). To investigate the relationships between breast adipose tissue (BrAT), body fat distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors. Subjects/Methods: In all, 97 healthy females (age 19-46 years, BMI 16.8-46.8 kg/m 2 ) were examined cross-sectionally. A subgroup of 57 overweight and obese women (BMI 34.7±4.5 kg/m 2 ) was investigated before and after diet-induced weight loss (À8.3 ± 4 kg). Fat mass (FM) was measured by air-displacement plethysmography. Volumes of BrAT, VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of the trunk and extremeties were assessed by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cardiometabolic risk was assessed by lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin, adiponectin and leptin levels. Results: A high proportion of BrAT was associated with higher truncal and lower leg SAT. Weight loss-induced decline in BrAT as a percentage of total adipose tissue was correlated with decreases in SAT trunk and inversely with SAT legs and VAT. No relationships were found between BrAT and cardiometabolic risk factors. By contrast, SAT trunk and VAT showed positive and SAT legs inverse associations with cardiometabolic risk factors in cross-sectional as well as longitudinal analysis. The association between BrAT and VAT was lost after adjusting for %FM and truncal SAT. Conclusions: Our results indicate that high BrAT reflects a phenotype with increased SAT trunk and low SAT legs . BrAT showed no independent relationships with VAT and cardiometabolic risk factors.

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“…In contrast to female nonhuman primates, where breast enlargement only occurs during lactation (Short, 1980), women's breasts enlarge at puberty due to increased deposition of adipose and stromal tissue (Vandeweyer & Hertens, 2002). The social and evolutionary significance of breast enlargement prior to pregnancy and lactation in women has been a subject of much debate (Caro, 1987;Jesser, 1971).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men’s Preferences for Women’s Breast Morphology in New Zealand, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea

et al. 2010

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Sexual selection via mate choice may have influenced the evolution of women's breast morphology. We conducted an image-based questionnaire quantifying and comparing the preferences of men from Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, and New Zealand (NZ) for images of women's breast size, breast symmetry, areola size, and areolar pigmentation. Results showed that men from PNG preferred larger breasts to a greater extent than men from Samoa and NZ, providing some support for the hypothesis that men from subsistence living cultures have a greater preference for morphological cues indicative of caloric reserves. Symmetrical breasts were most attractive to men in each culture. However, preferences were highest among NZ men, followed by men from Samoa, and were lowest among men from PNG. These results did not support the hypothesis that people living in higher pathogen environments have a greater preference for traits indicative of pathogen resistance and developmental stability. Large areolae were preferred among men from PNG, and to a lesser extent in Samoa, while in NZ men preferred medium-sized areolae. Thus, men's preferences for women's areolar size appear to be highly culturally specific. Darkly pigmented areolae were most attractive to men from Samoa and PNG, whereas men from NZ preferred areolae with medium pigmentation. These findings suggest that areolar pigmentation indicative of sexual maturity is preferred by men rather than lighter pigmentation, which may signal that a woman is in the early years of reproductive maturity. This study highlights the importance of cross-cultural research when testing the role of morphological cues in mate choice.

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Quantification of glands and fat in breast tissue: An experimental determination

Cited by 73 publications

References 3 publications

A comparative study of volumetric breast density estimation in digital mammography and magnetic resonance imaging: results from a high-risk population

A comparative study of volumetric breast density estimation in digital mammography and magnetic resonance imaging: results from a high-risk population

Associations between breast adipose tissue, body fat distribution and cardiometabolic risk in women: cross-sectional data and weight-loss intervention

Men’s Preferences for Women’s Breast Morphology in New Zealand, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea

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