Best Breast cancer risk calculator: 2022
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Breast cancer risk calculator
As the healthcare industry is evolving, novel diagnostic techniques and treatments are being developed that are promising for many types of diseases, including breast cancer. However, the potential risks that influence the progression of breast cancer are the ones that have to be kept in check. These risk factors collectively provide an in-detail insight to your doctor that could potentially result in successful treatment.
Various healthcare organizations throughout the globe offer a breast cancer risk calculator. It is important to understand that breast cancer in earlier stages is contained within the breast. As time progresses, there are chances of cancer becoming invasive.
The risks factors for Breast Cancer.
This evaluation tool helps healthcare providers to better examine the current health condition of their patients. Moreover, such an evaluation tool aids in estimating the risk of invasive breast cancer development. The risk factors include:
- Genetic mutations.
- Old age.
- Dense breast tissues.
- Family history of breast cancer.
- History of non-cancerous breast diseases.
- Previous exposure to radiation therapy for cancer treatment.
- Women with a history of using birth-control medication.
- Alcohol and smoking.
- A compromised immune system.
For women with a history of genetic mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA 2 and having a previous history of breast cancer is very challenging when estimate breast cancer outcomes. Usually, these breast cancer risks are not considered when cancer has already manifested itself. Throughout the healthcare community, the Gail model is used as a breast cancer risk calculator tool to estimate the potential risk of breast cancer development up to the age of 90 years.
You may also be interested in the 6 Early Warning Signs of Breast Cancer.
7 key factors of Breast Cancer
According to this risk calculator, 7 key factors are examined differently from the general risk factors we mentioned earlier. These important factors are as follows:
- Age of the women when the cancer was diagnosed.
- Age at the first menstrual period.
- Women’s age at her first childbirth.
- A family history of breast cancer.
- The number of biopsies conducted earlier if any.
- The number of biopsies identifying abnormal cell growth.
According to the FDA, the 5-year risk of more than 1.67 percent is considered high risk. Additionally, the FDA also advises using risk-lowering medications such as tamoxifen or raloxifene that are proven to help lower breast cancer development.
The purpose of this breast cancer risk calculator
The purpose of this breast cancer risk calculator is to raise awareness of the possible outcomes cancer might have on overall health. Besides, it helps doctors make the right decisions that improve the patient’s quality of life. It is to be understood that the predictions from such evaluation tools are not definite and vary from person to person. It is an estimated risk of a larger population.
Let’s make it simple. Suppose if you evaluate yourself using one such breast cancer risk calculator for 10 years, the tool will give you a number that is the average risk of women who have similar risk factors and could potentially develop breast cancer over the next 10 years. For example, if you are evaluated of having a 1.5% risk, this means that 1.5% of the total number of women with similar key risk factors can develop breast cancer over 10 years. However, it cannot tell which of the individuals from the group will develop breast cancer.
Most of these evaluation tools are the best used by healthcare professionals treating you as they understand the details of what risk factors are to be considered in your specific case. When trying to interpret the results of these breast cancer risk calculator tools, it might become difficult to understand the results.
Summary of the breast cancer risk calculators
You can always consult your healthcare provider to better help understand the results. Moreover, discuss and learn about your current health condition, symptoms as well as the risk factors that affect you individually.
There are several other risk assessment tools such as the Claus model that focuses on the family history and even breast cancer history of close relatives to evaluate the risk of breast cancer development. Another model named the tyrer-Cuzik model examines the same key factors as the Claus model. As the current evaluation tools are being refined over time, a breast cancer risk factor calculator would be able to better predict breast cancer outcomes shortly.
You may also be interested in the other articles about Breast Cancer:
12 Breast cancer risks factors
Breast cancer mortality rate stage 0
Breast cancer mortality rate stage 1
Critical stages of Breast Cancer – mortality rates
