Concept of Risk

The concept of “risk” is easy to understand:  We accept risk of having an accident everytime we drive a car, and we intuitively balance that risk against the need and convenience of being able to transport ourselves from one location to another.  Similarly, we all know that there is an increased risk of heart attack and stroke with high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and accept the “risk” of side effects from medication to treat these conditions to reduce our risk of these life threatening complications.

The idea of determining breast cancer risk – and formulating a plan to reduce that risk – is really no different.  Different levels of risk require different risk reduction strategies.  It is one thing to wear a seat belt to reduce risk of injury from a car accident when driving in town, but a completely different approach is needed if you are driving a formula one race car in the Indianapolis 500, where a helmet, harness and asbestos suit would be required!

Several scientifically sound methods exist to determine an individual’s long-term risk of developing breast cancer.   These include both statistical and genetic tools, and are one of the fastest growing areas in the management of breast disease. 

Assessing risk is important because there are now several proven life-style changes and medications which we know will reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.