Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Management of the High-Risk Patient

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed nonskin cancer in women. To decrease the breast cancer burden, conserve resources, and decrease unnecessary treatments, guidelines suggest interventions be reserved for those women at greatest risk for disease. Risk assessment incorporating breast cancer risk factors and risk assessment models is of paramount importance in identifying women who have the greatest benefit from risk reduction strategies. Principles of shared decision-making should guide practitioners to incorporate patients' values, goals, and objectives in decisions around genetic testing, pharmacologic intervention, enhanced surveillance, and other risk reduction strategies.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Breast cancer risk assessment; Breastfeeding; Genetic testing; High-risk breast disease; Pharmacologic prevention; Risk assessment models; Risk reduction strategies.