Fat-Enlarged Axillary Nodes on Mammogram May Indicate Higher CVD Risk
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, May 14, 2024 -- Fat-enlarged axillary nodes on screening mammograms can predict the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society, held from May 5 to 9 in Boston.
Jessica Rubino, M.D., from the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and colleagues used electronic medical record data from 907 women (ages 40 to 75 years) without known coronary artery disease who had a routine screening mammogram and cardiovascular risk factors available within one year of the index mammogram (2011 to 2012).
The researchers found that 19.1 percent of women had fat-enlarged nodes (>20 mm in length due to an expanded fatty hilum). Women with fat-enlarged nodes had a high risk for CVD defined by pooled cohort equation (>7.5 percent likelihood of major adverse cardiovascular events [MACE] within 10 years; odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 4.2), as well as a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (OR, 4.0; 95 percent CI, 2.1 to 7.7) and hypertension (OR, 2.5; 95 percent CI, 1.6 to 4.0). There was also an association observed between fat-enlarged nodes and a trend toward a higher risk for MACE (OR, 1.7; 95 percent CI, 0.9 to 3.1) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR, 1.4; 95 percent CI, 0.9 to 2.1).
"Incorporating fat-enlarged nodes into CVD risk models has the potential to improve CVD risk stratification without additional cost or additional testing," Rubino said in a statement. "Fat-enlarged axillary lymph nodes visualized on screening mammography may increase the ability to identify women who would benefit from CVD risk reduction strategies and more intensive risk assessment with coronary artery computed tomography."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2024
Read this next
Many Medicaid Enrollees Have Restricted Access to SGLT2 Inhibitors, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Many Medicaid enrollees with type 2 diabetes have restricted access to cardioprotective medications, including sodium-glucose cotransporter-2...
Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors Increase Risk for Falls in Patients With Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor use is an independent risk factor for falls in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study...
AACR: Incidence-Based Mortality Dropping for Young Women With Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Incidence-based mortality (IBM) declined from 2010 to 2020 among women aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study presented...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.