Reliable Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Now Available in Farmington

Assessing breast cancer risk can be hard—some women are at an increased risk, while others have factors that suggest they aren’t at risk at all. With the Tyrer-Cuzick model, you can find out which camp you belong to and what your next steps should be to reduce your chance of developing breast cancer in the future. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Tyrer today!

How do you know if you need an additional test?

Each year, breast cancer risk assessment companies offer a growing list of supplemental tests to identify women at higher risk of breast cancer. The Tyrer-Cuzick model is able to reliably identify if a woman is at a greater-than-average risk of breast cancer and determines if that woman would benefit from supplemental breast MRI or breast ultrasound, in addition to her annual screening mammogram.

Diagnosing Breast Cancer

To get a clearer understanding of your potential risk of breast cancer, our team can use a test called Tyrer-Cuzick. While mammograms and other methods help us find small lumps or changes in your breast tissue, they cannot definitively determine whether these findings are related to cancer. By using Tyrer-Cuzick, we can assess whether or not you’re at an increased risk for developing breast cancer. While it isn’t designed to screen for all women across all demographics, many of our patients find it reassuring that we perform these tests and consider it part of routine care. Using additional resources like MRI and ultrasound will help us figure out if you’re at a high risk of developing cancer.

Treatment Options

The Tyrer-Cuzick model determines breast cancer risk by estimating a woman’s 10-year probability of developing breast cancer. If a woman’s risk is 30% or greater, she may be referred for supplemental screening – most commonly, an MRI or ultrasound. Supplemental screening can often detect tumors before they grow large enough to be detected by mammography alone. The Tyrer-Cuzick model is unique because it assesses 10 years of risk rather than individual years of risk. A woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 would have her risks calculated differently than a woman who was diagnosed at age 60: In one case, she would add 9 more years to her risk score; in another case, she would add only 1 year to her risk score.

What happens next?

A study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center published Wednesday in JAMA shows that researchers may have found a reliable way to assess breast cancer risk and determine if women are at high risk for recurrence. It’s not just about prevention; it’s also about finding women who need supplemental screening to make sure breast cancer is not missed. According to Tyrer-Cuzick, MRI or ultrasound would be used to scan areas of concern during these exams. The study will appear as an online first publication of JAMA Oncology. These results follow recent studies that indicate that supplemental breast imaging improves overall survival rates by between 10 and 20 percent among women with previous diagnoses of early stage invasive ductal carcinoma after either 2 or 3 years of follow-up...

Breast Cancer Risk Assessment

 Understanding Your Potential Risk

Women under 40 with one or more first-degree relatives (i.e., a mother, sister, daughter) who have had breast cancer have an increased risk of developing breast cancer themselves and may benefit from supplemental breast imaging (Breast MRI and/or Breast Ultrasound). The Tyrer-Cuzick model is an effective tool to help identify these women. While there are many factors that contribute to developing breast cancer, having one or more first-degree relative with diagnosed cancer can increase your risk of developing breast cancer by as much as four times over average (12 percent versus 3 percent). Women younger than 50 without any family history still face a 1-in-eight lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Regular screening mammograms remain essential for all women age 40 and older.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR RISK

Tyrer-Cuzick Model: A model developed by a team of researchers at various universities including Tyrer Cuzick and Dana Farber that helps determine if a woman is at a greater than average risk of breast cancer. The data-driven model factors in many different factors that have been identified as increasing one's risk of breast cancer. In addition to traditional risk factors such as family history, smoking and obesity, newer studies have shown an increased risk with specific anti-cancer treatments. This new research is what makes it possible for many women to be significantly more aware of their risk level and whether they should add supplemental screening methods like MRI or ultrasound to their annual mammogram (standard practice). For more information about your specific risks, talk with your doctor or call our office today.

UNDERSTANDING TYRER-CUZICK

The Tyrer-Cuzick model is a tool that predicts whether a woman with no specific risk factors for breast cancer has an elevated risk for breast cancer. The model takes into account a woman’s breast density, her number of children, her age and her family history. In today’s era of personalized medicine, it’s critical to understand which patients may be at risk for certain diseases. In fact, many young women do not have increased risk factors but may have inherited a mutation that means they are predisposed to developing certain cancers later in life. By using customized algorithms like Tyrer-Cuzick to better predict cancer risk early on, physicians can better inform their patients about their unique risks and develop proactive plans to reduce those risks.

Trusted

To ensure its findings are as reliable as possible, a panel of leading medical professionals uses a formula called Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) to identify a woman’s risk for breast cancer. The TC formula is based on several physical features including breast density and is able to determine whether she has an increased risk of developing breast cancer. If her TC score indicates she’s at greater than average risk, additional testing may be recommended to further clarify whether she faces an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Women who receive these tests may find they have more confidence when making decisions about how often to be screened and what treatment options are right for them. The most commonly recommended follow-up procedures include supplemental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound screening every three years.

Accurate

The Tyrer-Cuzick model accurately identifies women at a greater-than-average risk of breast cancer. Women who fall into one of four categories are considered high risk: those with genetic mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, or Triple Negative Breast Cancer; women over 50 years old; women who have experienced a previous breast biopsy that has shown lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS); and African American women.

Peace of Mind

It's easy to say that everyone's risk of developing breast cancer is equal. But, it's not true. Some women are more at risk than others and now there is a way to identify them earlier than ever before so they can take action to avoid or delay a breast cancer diagnosis. The Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment looks at your family history and age to determine if you are one of those high-risk women who would benefit from supplemental breast MRI or breast ultrasound, in addition to her annual screening mammogram. Talk with your doctor about how you can ensure you're at peace of mind today and for years to come. The only way to know if you have an increased risk of getting breast cancer is by taking the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment.