Notifying women that they have dense breasts after population-based mammography screening does not lead to more screening-related GP consults or supplemental scans, an Australian study has found.

Writing in The Lancet Primary Care, the researchers found this was despite the fact that notified women were advised they could consult with their GPs for further information on breast density and supplemental screening.

BreastScreen Australia currently recommends that women are informed of their breast density in writing as measured on their screening mammogram, with some BreastScreen state and territory services already notifying and advising women with dense breasts to consult their GP.

The study initially included 3107 women participating in Queensland’s BreastScreen program who were classified as having mammographically dense breast tissue, defined as BI-RADS category C or D.