According to the National Cancer Institute, the average woman has a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer. That’s a scary number… and it gets worse if you’re at high risk.
What puts a person at high risk for breast cancer?
- Having a strong family history of breast cancer — that means two or more close relatives with breast cancer. If any of those relatives were diagnosed before the age of fifty, your risk is even higher. A strong family history makes you between two and five times more likely to develop breast cancer than the average woman.
- Having a hereditary gene change that increases the risk of breast cancer. There are two genes related to breast and ovarian cancer: BRCA1 and BRCA2. The presence of the breast cancer gene makes you between three and seven times more likely to develop breast cancer than the average woman.
Talk to your doctor if you think you may be at high risk for breast cancer. Some people believe their risk is higher than it actually is; others believe their risk is much lower than it actually is. Discuss your risk factors and possible preventative measures with your doctor to get the facts.
If you are at high risk, you do have some options for reducing your breast cancer risk or lessening the impact if you do develop breast cancer.
Extra testing and/or check-ups is a popular option. More frequent check-ups may detect breast cancer earlier, when it is easier to treat. You and your doctor may opt for more frequent physicals, an annual mammogram, or even an annual MRI to check for breast cancer. One drawback is that testing sometimes doesn’t find breast cancer early. And sometimes, the tests come back with a “false positive” — saying that there is a problem where there actually isn’t a problem.
Some doctors suggest taking anti-cancer medication, especially where there is a strong family history of breast cancer. Studies have shown that taking medications like tamoxifen (which blocks the effect of estrogen on breast cancer cells) and raloxifine (which is used only in post-menopausal women) for five years lowers the risk of breast cancer in high risk patients. However, there is not enough evidence to determine whether or not these medications can help prevent breast cancer in women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. These medications can also increase the risk of stroke and blood clots.
Other breast cancer prevention options include removal of the breasts and/or ovaries. These can reduce your risk of breast cancer, but not erase it entirely.
If you are at high risk for breast cancer, talk to your doctor about ALL your options and all possible outcomes before making a decision.