Breast cancer can be a scary thing, especially if a woman has a family history or certain risk factors. Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tools can help determine if a possible breast cancer risk exists. These are not diagnostic tests; if women present a high-risk, it does not necessarily mean she will definitively get breast cancer, it just means she may more likely get the disease. Only professionals should administer and review these tests and their results, in order to provide accurate information and guidance.
The Breast Cancer RIsk Assessment Tool
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project created the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool to evaluate the risk of a woman developing invasive breast cancer. It is based on the Gail model, which, according to the NCI, looks at a woman's personal breast health history, her reproductive history and breast cancer in first-degree relatives in order to calculate her risk of breast cancer over a period of time. It has proved a highly predictive in white women, although it has shown to underestimate the risk to African-American women. Studies continue using this test in varying populations of women of different ethnicities and specific medical histories, to further test the validity of it as an assessment tool.
HALO Breast Pap Test
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the HALO breast Pap test as an assessment tool. This tool collects aspirate fluid from the nipple for cellular evaluation, according to Neomatrix. The breast Pap test consists of a device similar to breast pumps that suctions out fluid from the milk ducts. Physicians examine this for normal, malignant, and pre-malignant cells. This test can detect cell changes early, before they develop into widespread cancer. However, this test does not a diagnose cancer, so women having this test should still go for regular checkups, mammograms and continue to perform breast self-examination.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes known as tumor suppressors, which means that if they remain intact, they help suppress any uncontrolled growth that could lead to cancer. When mutations occur in these genes, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer will likely occur. Testing for these mutations involves a blood test where the blood is sent to a specialized laboratory that specializes in genetic testing. Genetic counseling typically occurs along with the blood test. Professionals do this counseling by performing a risk assessment based on family medical history and personal health history. For women who prove positive for a mutation, their risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer is reviewed, along with possible options for risk reduction.
