Just when you thought it was safe to leave the suburbs... Science Daily is reporting that a new study reveals that women residing in urban areas (that means you, city girl) have a higher chance of getting breast cancer. According to the study, which was presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting this week, women living in cities tend to have denser breasts, which makes them about four times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with fatty tissue in their breasts.

"Women living in cities need to pay more attention to having regular breast screening," said Nicholas M. Perry, director of The London Breast Institute at The Princess Grace Hospital in London, U.K. "Currently, women who live in urban areas are known to have lower attendance for breast screening programs than women in outlying areas."

After studying digital mammograms from 972 women from a variety of areas, researchers found that women in living in urban areas (in this case London) had denser breasts than those residing in suburban or rural areas. For city-dwelling women in the 45- to 54-year-old age group, the risk of having dense breasts doubled.

Why this breast density occurs is still up for debate, and more research is expected to explain the phenomenon. In the meantime, women living in urban areas are strongly encouraged to get regular mammograms and check-ups.

Or, hey, you could always pull a "Green Acres."