Breast Cancer Risk Score

Understanding Your Lifetime Breast Cancer Risk Score

What This Information Is, and Why It Matters

Your healthcare team may calculate your lifetime breast cancer risk score to help personalize your breast care. This score estimates your chance of developing breast cancer over your lifetime, based on a combination of personal and family health information.

This estimate helps guide decisions about:

• Screening options
• Screening frequency
• Additional imaging or preventive measures

What Is a Lifetime Breast Cancer Risk Score?

A lifetime risk score is a percentage that estimates how likely you are to develop breast cancer during your life.

For example:

• A lifetime risk of 10% means that 10 out of 100 women with similar risk factors may develop breast cancer.
• A lifetime risk of 20% or higher is often considered “higher risk.”

This score does not mean you will or will not get cancer. It helps inform screening and care decisions.

How Is My Risk Calculated?

Risk scores are calculated using validated medical models that look at multiple factors together. These may include:

Personal Factors

• Age
• Age at first menstrual period
• Age at first childbirth (if applicable)
• History of breast biopsies
• Breast density on mammogram

Family and Genetic Factors

• Breast cancer in close relatives (mother, sister, daughter)
• Age relatives were diagnosed
• Ovarian or related cancers in the family
• Known genetic mutations (such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, if tested)

Other Health Information

• Prior radiation to the chest
• Hormone exposure (certain therapies)
• Ethnicity (for some models)

What Do the Risk Categories Mean?

Average Risk

• Lifetime risk below 15%
• Category for most women
• Routine screening typically recommended

Intermediate Risk

• Lifetime risk 15 – 19%
• Individualized screening usually discussed

Higher Risk

• Lifetime risk 20% or higher
• May qualify for:
• Earlier or more frequent screening
• Supplemental imaging (such as ultrasound or MRI)
• Referral to a high‑risk or genetics clinic

Your care team will review what these categories mean specifically for you.

What This Risk Score Does Not Mean

It’s important to understand the limits of risk scores:

• It does not diagnose cancer
• It does not predict when cancer might develop
• It does not account for every possible factor
• It does not mean cancer is unavoidable

Risk scores are decision‑support tools, not certainties.

How Does This Affect My Screening Plan?

Your lifetime risk score may influence:

• When you start screening
• How often you are screened
• Whether additional imaging beyond mammography is recommended

Examples:

• Women with dense breasts may benefit from supplemental ultrasound
• Women at higher risk may qualify for annual breast MRI
• Some patients may be referred for genetic counseling

Your provider will discuss options that align with your risk level, preferences and medical history.

Important Takeaway

Your lifetime breast cancer risk score helps your care team:

• Personalize screening
• Detect cancer earlier when it is most treatable
• Offer you informed choices about your care

If you have questions about your risk of breast cancer, talk with your provider. If you need a healthcare provider, visit our Find a Provider tool.

Talk with your provider about your family history, areas of concern, and breast cancer risk. The sooner any form of breast cancer is detected, the greater the likelihood that treatment will be successful.

Schedule your screening mammogram today by calling 270.251.4393.