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Learning More and
Taking Action

Understanding and Managing Your Risk

For Cancer Survivors

Tell Us Your Story

Organizations

Background Information

Glossary

“We live in a world full of information and answers. We want to know how much we weigh, what our cholesterol levels are... why not receive this valuable knowledge that could influence the course of our lives? This is powerful information.”

— Laurie, BRCA mutation carrier

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Taking Action To Prevent Cancer

Inherited risk for breast and ovarian cancer no longer means that cancer is inevitable. A family history of cancer or a positive test result can give you valuable information you may be able to use to:

Reduce your risk
Take proactive steps
Make informed choices
Prevent or detect cancer at an early, treatable stage

Risk can be managed and reduced. There are many options for medical management of a higher cancer risk. You can work with your doctor to come up with a plan that is right for you. Your plan may include some of the following options:

Increased Surveillance
Risk Reduction
Chemoprevention
Preventive Surgery

There are also other options For Men.

Increased Surveillance

The earliest detection is always the best. Working with your primary care physician and the appropriate specialists—such as an OB-GYN or a gynecological oncologist—you can monitor for signs of cancer with care. Important surveillance methods include:

Monthly breast self-exams beginning between the ages of 18 to 21 and annual or semiannual clinical breast exams, beginning between the ages of 25 to 35
Yearly mammography and breast MRI beginning between the ages of 25 to 35 (or starting earlier, based on family history). Both the American Cancer Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network have recommended the use of annual MRI screening for women at hereditary risk for breast cancer
Annual or semiannual transvaginal ultrasound to screen for ovarian cancer beginning between the ages of 25 to 35 (or starting earlier, based on family history)
CA-125 blood testing for women at higher risk for ovarian cancer

Risk Reduction

Some breast and ovarian cancer risk factors—such as heredity and age—are beyond your control. Others involve "lifestyle choices," such as eating the right foods in the right amounts, not smoking, and limiting your alcohol consumption, and are within your reach. Women who exercise regularly and lower their body fat can lower their risk of breast cancer.

You can work with your doctor to tailor the risk reduction component of your cancer prevention action plan to your personal needs and level of physical fitness.

Learn the facts about risk reduction and these topics:

Chemoprevention

You can work with your doctor to come up with an approach to chemoprevention that's right for you. A chemoprevention regimen may include:

Drugs such as tamoxifen that have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer
Oral contraceptives that may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer

Preventive Surgery

While it may sound drastic at first, preventive surgery—removing at-risk tissue in order to reduce your cancer risk—can significantly reduce your risks:

Proactive Cancer Management Reduces the Risks Preventive Measure

See Tamoxifen, Mastectomy, or Oophorectomy in our Glossary.

Preventive surgery options may include:

Preventive removal of the breasts (mastectomy) significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer
Preventive removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy) significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, and also breast cancer

For Men

Men as a group are generally at a low risk for breast cancer. However, if you are a man who has HBOC, you should talk with your doctor about your medical management options, which may include:

A regular monthly breast self-exam
An annual clinical breast exam
Mammography
Following the screening guidelines for prostate cancer as advised by your doctor

Some families also have an increased incidence of pancreatic tumors. Talk to your doctor about pancreatic cancer screening.

Learn More About Cancer Risk and How to Manage it

To prepare yourself for an in-depth discussion with your doctor, learn more about cancer risk and these topics:

Write all of your questions down. When you talk to your doctor or healthcare specialist, you can get them answered.