Mammograms show promise as tool for predicting heart disease and stroke in women

Routine mammograms are used to check women for breast cancer. But new research suggests they could do more than that: The images may help predict a woman's risk for major cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, when they show the presence of calcium buildup in the arteries of a woman's breast.

The findings suggest the presence of breast artery calcification may even be a better predictor of cardiovascular problems in some women than the currently used risk tool, providing a much-needed opportunity for prevention. The study will be presented Nov. 13 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions conference in Philadelphia.

"We know we need to find better ways to predict heart disease in women before it happens," said lead researcher Dr. Thara Ali, a cardiology fellow at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. "We're saying these patients can be risk-stratified with routine mammograms they get every one to two years anyway. This is a pretty simple way the average cardiologist can find out if a woman is at risk."

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with stroke at No. 5. But while cardiovascular mortality rates have been declining, the reduction has been more pronounced among men and remained stagnant among women under 55.

"This is a major area we are failing at as cardiologists," Ali said. "We're really trying to address that gap with this research."

Her study builds upon a growing body of evidence suggesting screening mammograms may prove a useful tool for predicting cardiovascular risk because they reveal the presence of breast artery calcification, or BAC. Prior research has...