Support for Women at High Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
Some women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer due to factors outside of their control but early detection is key to successful breast cancer treatment.
Rochester Regional Health's Breast Center offers a comprehensive High-Risk Breast Cancer Screening Clinic to help you understand, reduce, and manage your personal risk factors for breast cancer, including your hereditary risk.
Our Clinic is physician-led by a multidisciplinary team of highly experienced breast specialists who will listen to your concerns and help you develop a personalized plan for breast cancer screening, surveillance, and prevention.
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Who is Eligible for High-Risk Breast Cancer Screening?
Any individual who has an above-average risk for breast cancer is eligible.
High-risk factors may include:
Past history of breast cancer or non-cancerous breast diseases put you at higher risk for developing breast cancer.
These benign breast diagnoses include:
- Atypical ductal hyperplasia
- Atypical lobular hyperplasia
- Ductal carcinoma in situ
- Lobular carcinoma in situ
- Flat epithelial atypia
- Cytologic atypia
- Papilloma
- Sclerosing adenosis
- Radial scar
Things to look out for in your family history include:
- Ashkenazi Jewish heritage
- A history of premenopausal breast cancer before 40 on wither your mother or father?s side
- Male breast cancer on either your mother or father?s side
- A family history of a gene mutation in:
- BRCA 1 or 2
- ATM, BARD1, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, EPCAM, FANCC, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, NBN, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, TP53 and XRCC2
- Neurofibromatosis
- Other hereditary syndromes with potential breast cancer risk such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome.
Learn more about our Cancer Genetics Screening Program.
You may have been identified as being high-risk through a risk assessment model (such as GAIL Risk Model or Tyrer-Cuzik) at your yearly screening or from your primary care provider. If you have received a high score on these models, our team can provide counseling, education, referrals for additional testing and breast screening services, and personalized treatment options.
If you were previously treated with high doses of radiation therapy to the chest before age 30, which may have included treatment for Hodgkin disease or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you may have a significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer.
Having one or more of these risk factors for breast cancer doesn?t mean you?ll inevitably get the disease. But it does mean that you should act now to try and identify and reduce your risk.
Our Comprehensive Services
Our High-Risk Breast Cancer Screening Clinic provides you with:
- Individualized breast cancer risk assessment
- Coordination of regular clinical breast exams
- Coordination of high-risk breast imaging services, including mammography and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Genetic counseling and testing for gene mutations associated with breast cancer
- Coordination with high-risk services for gynecological cancers
- Health education on topics such as self-breast exams, breast screenings, and lifestyle modifications
- Preventive options and treatments to reduce your risk
- Coordination with other Rochester Regional Health services for fertility preservation, breast reconstruction
- Long-term follow-up, surveillance, and breast care
You will have access to our clinic?s nurse navigator who will support and guide you throughout the treatment process, coordinating your appointments and care services.
Personalized Risk Management Plan
Our breast experts will work with you to create your personalized risk management plan.
Plans might include:
- Additional screening with breast MRI, contrast-enhanced mammograms, or ultrasound for early detection of breast cancer
- Breast cancer chemoprevention (drugs that may be used to prevent certain types of breast cancer)
- Risk-reducing surgeries such as preventative mastectomy and preventative oophorectomy (removal of ovaries)
- Genetic testing and counseling
- Nutrition and lifestyle counseling
- Emotional, psychological, and social support services
Our experts work in collaboration with other providers such as radiologists, genetic counselors, medical oncologists, gynecological surgeons, and social workers to facilitate care.