| Institution: | 1. Department of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland;2. Department of Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita, Kansas;3. Breast Imaging Division, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland;4. Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;5. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;6. Division of Cardiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York;7. Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut;8. Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland;9. Center for Prevention and Wellness, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, Florida;10. Cardiac Imaging Unit, Department of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland;11. Cardiology Department, Bellvitge University Hospital and Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain;12. Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain;13. Research Triangle Institute Health Solutions, Pharmacoepidemiology and Risk Management, Barcelona, Spain |
| Abstract: | In 2018, cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the leading cause of death among women, and current CVD prevention paradigms may not be sufficient in this group. In that context, it has recently been proposed that detection of calcification in breast arteries may help improve CVD risk screening and assessment in apparently healthy women. This review provides an overview of breast arterial anatomy; and the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and measurement of breast artery calcium (BAC); and discusses the features of the BAC-CVD link. The potential clinical applications that BAC may offer for CVD prevention in the context of current clinical practice guidelines and recommendations are also discussed. Finally, current gaps in evidence gaps are outlined, and future directions in the field are explored with a focus on the implementation of BAC mammography as a CVD risk-screening tool in routine clinical practice. |
