Associations of breast density with demographic, reproductive, and lifestyle factors in a developing Southeast Asian population

The aim of this study was to investigate how breast density interacted with demographic, reproductive, and lifestyle features among Vietnamese women. Mammographic density and established risk factors for breast cancer were collected from 1651 women (345 cancer cases and 1306 normal cases) in Vietnam. The association of breast density categories with potential risk factors was investigated using Spearman’s test for continuous variables and χ2 tests for categorical variables. Independent factors associated with high breast density and breast cancer in specific density groupings were assessed using logistic regression. Results showed that high breast density was significantly associated with young age, low body mass index, low number of children, early age at having the last child, premenopausal status, and increased vegetable consumption. Reproductive factors were key agents associated with breast cancer for women with high breast density, which was not so evident for women with low breast density.