New Online Tool Quickly Assesses Breast Cancer Risk

LANCASTER, PA, January 2015 ‑‑ Lancaster General Health’s new Breast Cancer Risk Profiler gives women a clearer picture of their own risk in a matter of minutes.

The free, easy-to use tool, evaluates a woman’s lifestyle, heredity and personal history to identify whether she is at low, moderate or high risk for developing breast cancer. The profiler is meant to decrease anxiety about breast cancer risk and give guidance to women at all risk levels.

Profiler results serve as a discussion guide for women and their primary-care providers, who work together to create a screening plan based on individual risk factors. The tool also provides advice for decreasing breast-cancer risk.

“It is critical to identify the high-risk women in our community,” said Dr. Daleela Dodge, director of the Breast Cancer Program at the Ann B. Barshinger Center Institute and a breast surgeon with Lancaster General Health Physicians Surgical Group.  “For women with any of the identified high-risk factors for breast cancer, there is no debate that screening saves lives.”

The Breast Cancer Risk Profiler is based on a model developed by scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project. It is not for everyone. It is designed for women only and is not for use by those with a strong history of breast cancer on their father’s side; a personal history of invasive breast cancer, ductile carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ; or a known BRCA mutation themselves or in their family.