Not all women and men have an equal risk to develop breast cancer. Patients with higher than average risk can be identified by multiple factors including but not limited to family history, reproductive history and microscopic findings on breast biopsies.
Once a patient has been identified as having higher than average risk for future development of breast cancer, they can be evaluated for more accurate determination of specific risk and offered risk-reducing strategies.
Effective risk reduction may occur with
- Changes in lifestyle
- Changes in diet
- Changes in use of estrogen medication
- Administration of medications such as the agent called Tamoxifen and rarely
- Preventive surgery
The Norma J. Vinger Center for Breast Care offers expert assessment and advice concerning all the above.