PhD Completion Seminar - Mammographic density and breast cancer, Kavitha Krishnan

K.Krishnan photo

Mammographic density (MD) is the regions of the breast that appear white or bright on a mammogram. The World Health Organization recognises that MD is a risk factor of breast cancer.

The objectives of my PhD research are:

  • To quantify the extent to which MD measures of breast cancer risk are stable over time using longitudinal data.
  • To investigate the associations of MD measures with inherent risk, and with risk of masking, separately.
  • To investigate if the associations of MD measures with inherent risk, and risk of masking, vary by tumor characteristics.
  • To investigate the association of MD measures with risks of recurrence of breast cancer and death due to breast cancer.

While mammograms have mainly been used for detection of tumours, the findings of my research imply that mammograms might be useful for predicting inherent risk, for assessing risk of masking of tumor, and for predicting risk of recurrence through the MD measures. I also found that the MD measured that predict risk and masking are highly stable over time from early adulthood.  This suggests that population-based screening could be tailored to the individual woman based on her MD measurements, and start at a younger age. My findings might also aid in understanding the etiology of breast cancer.

Time & Date: 4:00pm Friday 1st September 2017
Venue: Melbourne School of Population & Global Health
Seminar Rooms 515, Level 5, 207 Bouverie Street
Carlton Vic 3053
All welcome RSVP not required