Assessing the Risk of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Each year in the United States, breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 170,000 women.¹ Despite this substantial burden of disease, however, assessment of breast-cancer risk has received very little attention outside the oncology clinic.^2,3 In primary care, the main result of the recognition of individual variation in breast-cancer risk is the use of age to determine recommendations regarding mammography (older age is a strong risk factor for breast cancer).⁴ Recent developments in the ability to predict and alter breast-cancer risk warrant a new look at the role of assessment of this risk in primary care. Physicians must become . . .