Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer in women, affecting 1 in 8 women in the United States (12.5%) in their lifetime. However, some women have a higher lifetime risk of BC because of genetic and lifestyle factors, mammographic breast density, and reproductive and hormonal factors. Because BC risk is variable, screening and prevention strategies should be individualized after considering patient-specific risk factors. Thus, health care professionals need to be able to assess risk profiles, identify high-risk women, and individualize screening and prevention strategies through a shared decision-making process. In this article, we review the risk factors for BC, risk-assessment models that identify high-risk patients, and preventive medications and lifestyle modifications that may decrease risk. We also discuss the benefits and limitations of various supplemental screening methods.
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Abbreviations
- AI:
-
Aromatase inhibitor
- BC:
-
Breast cancer
- BRRM:
-
Bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy
- CEDM:
-
Contrast-enhanced digital mammography
- HLI:
-
Healthy Lifestyle Index
- LCIS:
-
Lobular carcinoma in situ
- MBD:
-
Mammographic breast density
- MBI:
-
Molecular breast imaging
- MHT:
-
Menopausal hormone therapy
- MRI:
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- NCCN:
-
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
- OR:
-
Odds ratio
- PRS:
-
Polygenic risk score
- RR:
-
Relative risk
- RRBSO:
-
Risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
- SERM:
-
Selective estrogen receptor modulator
- SNP:
-
Single nucleotide polymorphism
- US:
-
Ultrasonography
- USPSTF:
-
United States Preventive Services Taskforce
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Vegunta, S., Bhatt, A.A., Choudhery, S.A. et al. Identifying women with increased risk of breast cancer and implementing risk-reducing strategies and supplemental imaging. Breast Cancer 29, 19–29 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-021-01298-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-021-01298-x