BY ALICE PARK
HEALTH
Actor Olivia Munn recently shared in an Instagram post that ag free risk-assessmenta tool her doctor used revealed that she had a higher chance of developing breast cancer. It led to testing—and eventually treatment—that likely spared her from more serious outcomes.
The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool isn’t new. It’s been around since 1989 for women ages 35 to 74, and it doesn’t even require a doctor. The online questionnaire, available through the National Cancer Institute (NCI), asks about a woman’s age, her family history of breast cancer, when she began menstruating, how old she was when she had her first child (if applicable), and if she’s had any breast biopsies. It then estimates her risk of getting breast cancer in five years and over the course of her life.
“This calculator is a great first step that women can do on their own and discuss the results with their primary-care doctor or gynecologist,” says Dr. Jennifer Litton, professor of breast medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The tool was built using data from the Breast Cancer Demonstration Project, a 1970s study of 280,000 white women, and the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Data from Black, Hispanic, and Asian women were added later to provide more accurate predictions for women of different races and ethnicities. While it’s still less accurate for women of color, research has found that the tool is about 98% accurate in predicting disease risk.
It’s especially helpful for those who have a family history of breast cancer, people who don’t know their genet
