Hormonal therapy is associated with a lower prevalence of breast arterial calcification on mammography.

OBJECTIVE: To bring further understanding to the relationship between hormonal therapy (HT) and breast arterial calcification (BAC). METHODS: Of women arriving for breast cancer screening mammography, 1995 consented to complete a survey and have their mammograms analyzed for the presence of BAC. The survey assessed HT use and major risk factors for CAD. RESULTS: Of the 1919 women with complete data, there were 268 with BAC (14%). When categorized into three age groups, BAC was present in 40.7% of the women > or =65, 10.9% of those 55-64 and 3.0% of those <55. The > or =65 year-old group showed a nearly 50%-point lower prevalence of BAC among HT users compared with women who were not on HT (25.8% versus 74.2%, respectively, p=0.006). With age included as a continuous variable, past use of HT was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of BAC (p<0.03), while the presence of diabetes or a history of stroke were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of BAC (p<0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Well-established cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, stroke, and age) appear to be associated with a significantly higher incidence of BAC, while HT during the menopausal years appears to be associated with a significantly lower prevalence of BAC.