Breast arterial calcification on mammograms may be marker for future heart disease risk

Key takeaways:

• Over 18 years, more women with breast arterial calcifications on mammography developed heart disease vs. those without.
• Mammograms may be a useful tool to gain additional information about heart disease risk.

CHICAGO — The presence of breast arterial calcifications on routine mammograms may signal increased risk for atherosclerotic CVD later in life, according to research presented at the Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society.

“It may be surprising that a mammogram can provide information beyond breast cancer screening, including heart health. However, examining the vessels in the breast can provide valuable insight into the body’s overall health. Given that mammograms are already being performed, the potential is there for physicians to gain additional information about heart disease risk,” Hannah Daley, BA, a third-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine in West Reading, Pennsylvania, told Healio.

Previous research suggested an association between the presence of breast arterial calcifications on mammography and CVD in women. Daley and colleagues undertook the current study to evaluate the association between breast arterial calcification and atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) over time.

The researchers recruited 1,995 women who received care at mammography centers in Connecticut (baseline mean age, 56 years; 61% menopausal). Each woman completed a baseline survey, and then follow-up surveys were conducted at 1, 2, 4, 5, 10 and 18 years to assess the presence of ASCVD events and related risk factors.

At baseline, 14% of mammograms showed the presence of breast arterial calcifications and 5% of women had known ASCVD.

Nineteen percent of women (n = 383) completed the survey after 18 years of follow-up.

Results showed the following:

• an association between presence of breast arterial calcifications and freedom from an ASCVD event among women with ASCVD at baseline (P < .001);
• an association between presence of breast arterial calcifications and freedom from an ASCVD event among women without ASCVD at baseline (P < .001); and
• an association between presence of breast arterial calcifications and freedom from an ASCVD risk factor among women with an ASCVD risk factor at baseline (P < .001).

During 18 years of follow-up, 23% of women with breast arterial calcifications developed ASCVD compared with 13.9% of women without the presence of breast arterial calcifications (P < .001), according to the results.

“The take-home message of the study is that finding breast arterial calcifications on routine mammograms could be a useful tool in predicting heart disease,” Daley told Healio. “This screening tool can easily be applied to current practice, as women already routinely begin receiving mammograms at age 40. If breast arterial calcifications are regularly reported, physicians can risk stratify patients for cardiovascular disease and help patients to take preventive action against heart disease before it is too late.”

Looking ahead, Daley said, areas for future research should include creating standardized reporting guidelines for breast arterial calcifications and preventive strategies for heart disease among those with breast arterial calcifications.