Fatty liver disease and changes in dense breasts in pre- and postmenopausal women: the Kangbuk Samsung Health Study

Purpose While increased breast density is a risk factor for breast cancer, the effect of fatty liver disease on breast density is unknown. We investigated whether fatty liver is a risk factor for changes in breast density over ~ 4 years of follow-up in pre- and postmenopausal women. Methods This study included 74,781 middle-aged Korean women with mammographically determined dense breasts at baseline. Changes in dense breasts were identified by more screening mammograms during follow-up. Hepatic steatosis (HS) was measured using ultrasonography. Flexible parametric proportional hazards models were used to determine the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and a Weibull accelerated failure time model (AFT) was used to determine the time ratios (TRs) and 95% CIs. Results During a median follow-up of 4.1 years, 4022 women experienced resolution of the dense breasts. The association between HS and dense breast resolution differed by the menopause status ( P for interaction < 0.001). After adjusting for body mass index and other covariates, the aHRs (95% CI) for dense breast resolution comparing HS to non-HS were 0.81 (0.70–0.93) in postmenopausal women, while the association was converse in premenopausal women with the corresponding HRs of 1.30 (1.18–1.43). As an alternative approach, the multivariable-adjusted TR (95% CI) for dense breast survival comparing HS to non-HS were 0.81 (0.75–0.87) and 1.19 (1.06–1.33) in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, respectively. Conclusion The association between HS and changes in dense breasts differed with the menopause status. HS increased persistent dense breast survival in postmenopausal women but decreased it in premenopausal women.