New software could facilitate more consistent assessment of cancer risk Breast tissue can range from almost entirely fatty (left) to dense (right). Since both healthy but dense breast tissue and cancerous tissue appear light on mammograms, women with dense breasts may need additional or alternative screening to detect breast cancer. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Whiterabbit.ai have developed a software that assesses breast density and can help identify women who could benefit from additional screening. (Image: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology) February 2, 2021 SHARE Not only does dense breast tissue increase the chance that a woman will develop breast cancer, the tissue creates white shadows on mammograms, obscuring the images and making it harder for doctors to identify potentially cancerous growths.