At What Age Should Women Know Their Breast Risk Score?
Even though there are conflicting recommendations about when a woman should start having a mammogram, at the Breast Center at Midland Health, we continue to follow the American College of Radiology’s recommendation of a yearly mammogram at the age of 40. But is the age of 40 when a woman should start thinking about breast health?
A young woman should start doing monthly breast self-exams at the age of 20. This is to help train her brain what her normal tissue feels like and to help a young lady detect if there are changes in her breast tissue. Any changes that she notices should be reported to her medical provider.
Beyond the self-breast exams, is there anything else that a young woman should know about her breast health?
- According to The Society of Breast Surgeons, their Statement on Screening states: “Women >25 should undergo formal risk assessment for breast cancer”
- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network also states: “Individuals should undergo breast cancer risk assessment by 25 years of age.” https://www.nccn.org/patients/guidelines/content/PDF/breastcancerscreening-patient.pdf
- The American College of Radiology® and Society of Breast Imaging recommend that each woman talk with her doctor about her breast cancer risk no later than 30
https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Breast-Imaging-Resources/Care-Toolkit/Patient-Breast-Cancer-Risk-Assessment-Handout.pdf
Since knowledge is power, a young woman knowing her breast cancer risk empowers her to make decisions concerning the benefits of early screening. Think about having a 50% off coupon. If you are buying an item that costs $1.00, there really isn’t a huge benefit to using the coupon. It probably is not even worth traveling to the store and the gas price it will cost to use the coupon. But if you are going to buy a $30,000 car and have a 50% off coupon, it certainly is worth the trip to save $15,000. A young woman knowing her risk score allows her to know how much benefit she receives from early screening.
Why is early screening, in young women at increased risk, so important? In 2022, 10 of the 112 patients diagnosed with breast cancer at our center, were between the ages of 30 and 39. These women were younger than the age breast screening, for the average-risk population, is recommended. Another 25 of these 112 women were between the ages of 40 and 49. Many of the groups that determine when screening should start, has moved the age to start screening to age 50. Early detection is the key to survival in breast cancer. Thus, the high worth of the “coupon” of early screening and detection.
An online calculator is available at https://ibis-risk-calculator.magview.com. If you find your risk score to be greater than 20%, reach out to your medical provider and discuss this with them. If you have further questions about your risk score, you may contact Jenifer Dumire, Genetic Nurse Navigator at 432-221-1189.