Bone mineral density testing may enable physicians to identify breast cancer risk more accurately in older, postmenopausal women, a new study suggests.

Research findings published by the American Cancer Society showed that measuring a female patient's bone mineral density can provide additional information to assess risk of developing breast cancer.

The study explains that over a woman's lifetime, it is possible that hormonal and other factors that lead to higher bone mineral density can also lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Commenting on the findings, the researchers from the University of Arizona said: "Future studies should investigate whether incorporating bone mineral density and Gail score with other risk factors, such as breast density, can further improve the identification of women at high risk for developing breast cancer."

According to the European Network of Cancer Registries, within the European Union, every 2.5 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and every 7.5 minutes a woman dies from the disease.

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