The appearance of the breast parenchyma was studied in 955 women to determine whether it changed with age. It was found that women initially classified as being at either a low risk or a very high risk of cancer do not demonstrate changes in the breast parenchyma pattern with age. However, breasts in young women which exhibit dysplastic changes on the initial examination (QDY) frequently do change, occasionally to a relatively lower-risk category but often to a normal or near-normal appearance. Such changes generally occur between the ages of 35 and 50.