Breast Cancer
 
Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool  

What is the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool?

Being a woman puts you at risk for breast cancer. Each year your risk increases. The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool can be used to help determine your current risk, no matter what your age.

Developed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Biostatistics Center, the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool helps you calculate your chances of developing breast cancer over the next 5 years, up until the age of 90, based on answers to several questions about known breast cancer risks.

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool can be accessed at the National Cancer Institute’s web site: http://bcra.nci.nih.gov/brc.

This tool uses statistical methods applied to data from the Breast Cancer Detection and Demonstration Project, a mammography screening project conducted in the 1970s. By answering a series of questions about your most significant likely risk factors (current age, any previous diagnosis of DCIA/LCIS, age at menarche, age at birth of first child, number of close relatives diagnosed with cancer, whether you have any suspicious symptoms requiring a biopsy, whether the biopsy showed atypical cells) the tool can be used to help determine the risk of developing cancer over the next 5 years. The tool’s most common application is to help a woman’s physician determine whether prophylactic measures such as tamoxifen are necessary. If you elect to use the tool independently, it is important that you discuss any high-risk results with your physician.

It is important to understand that the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool is not a definitive gauge. If the Tool indicates you are at low risk, this does not mean you should stop performing monthly breast exams or having annual mammograms if you are over age 40.

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool has some limitations. For example the tool will generally underestimate the risk in women with strong family histories of breast cancer. Also, there are many other risk factors (e.g.: use of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, high-fat diet, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, obesity, age at menopause, dense breast tissue on mammogram and environmental factors) that the tool does not assess.

Remember that the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool is a statistical tool only, and lacks the ability to assess each individual’s complete profile of risk factors.


Questions Related to Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
Does antibiotic use increase breast cancer risk?
What is a risk factor?
My mother had breast cancer. Does this mean I am at greater risk?
I was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago, but I am now in remission. Am I at a higher risk of getting the disease again in the future?
Can benign cysts become cancerous?
I have no family history of breast cancer. Why should I worry about getting breast cancer?
Is there anything I can do to lower my risk of getting breast cancer?
Does Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) increase my breast cancer risk?
What women are at risk for breast cancer?
What risk factors are most important in determining my likelihood of getting breast cancer?
If I didn’t nurse my children, am I at greater risk of breast cancer?
Does exposure to toxins and chemicals in the environment increase one’s risk of breast cancer ?
Do breast implants increase your risk of breast cancer?
Does radiation exposure increase your breast cancer risk?
What is the connection between estrogen and breast cancer?
I have had fertility treatments. Does this increase my risk?
If I take birth control pills, am I at greater risk of getting breast cancer?
What are phytoestrogens? Do they cause breast cancer?
What causes breast cancer?
What are the risk factors that put a woman at a higher risk for breast cancer?
What risk factors can you control ?
What risk factors can you not control?
I started menstruating at a very young age. Am I at greater risk of getting breast cancer?
If I am overweight, am I at a greater risk of developing breast cancer?
I've heard that being overweight before menopause helps lower your risk of breast cancer. Is this true?
Is there a link between alcohol and breast cancer?
Why does alcohol consumption increase the risk of breast cancer ?
Can exercise reduce breast cancer risk?
Does a woman's height influence her breast cancer risk?
I have never had children. Am I at a greater risk for breast cancer?
I started menstruating when I was very young. Does this put me at higher risk?
Why does starting menstruation at an earlier age slightly increase your risk of breast cancer?
I began menopause later than average. Does this put me at increased risk?
Can I inherit breast cancer from my mother or other women in my family?
I often experience breast pain. What is this pain? Does the breast pain mean that I am more likely to get breast cancer?
I have very lumpy breasts. Does this mean I will develop breast cancer or am at high risk?
I’ve been told that I have high breast density. What is high breast density? Does this increase my risk of breast cancer?
Are women who have fibrocystic changes in their breasts at higher risk for breast cancer?
Is there a link between smoking and breast cancer?
Does stress increase your risk of breast cancer?
Does abortion increase a woman's risk of breast cancer?

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