{"id":1702,"date":"2024-03-14T15:34:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T15:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/14\/this-risk-assessment-tool-helped-olivia-munn-discover-her-breast-cancer\/"},"modified":"2024-03-14T15:34:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T15:34:38","slug":"this-risk-assessment-tool-helped-olivia-munn-discover-her-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/14\/this-risk-assessment-tool-helped-olivia-munn-discover-her-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"This risk assessment tool helped Olivia Munn discover her breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A tool that\u2019s available as an online calculator played a key role in actress Olivia Munn\u2019s discovery that she had breast cancer \u2013 even after she had \u201ca normal mammogram,\u201d according to a social media post. <\/p>\n

The \u201cX-Men: Apocalypse\u201d star, 43, wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and would not have discovered it if her physician, Dr. Tha\u00efs Aliabadi, had not calculated her breast cancer risk score. <\/p>\n

Using that assessment, Aliabadi discovered that Munn\u2019s lifetime risk for breast cancer was 37%. Because of that score, Munn had additional evaluations, leading to her diagnosis, according to her post. <\/p>\n

A breast cancer risk assessment tool uses a statistical model to estimate a woman\u2019s risk of developing breast cancer over the next five years as well as over her lifetime, or up to about age 90, according to the National Cancer Institute. <\/p>\n

The tool typically involves several questions about the person\u2019s medical history, reproductive history and family history. Although it\u2019s usually used by health professionals, patients can also complete the assessment online. <\/p>\n

Two models are commonly used as breast cancer risk assessment tools: the Gail Model and the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator. An online version of the breast cancer risk assessment tool, using the Gail Model, is available for anyone to take at\u00a0bcrisktool.cancer.gov. It reveals the patient\u2019s estimated five-year risk and lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, alongside the average risk for women in the United States of her age and race. <\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough a woman\u2019s risk may be accurately estimated, these predictions do not allow one to say precisely which woman will develop breast cancer. In fact, some women who do not develop breast cancer have higher risk estimates than some women who do develop breast cancer,\u201d according to the National Cancer Institute\u2019s website. <\/p>\n

\u2018Every woman should know\u2019 their risk<\/h2>\n

A family history of breast cancer or other cancers is usually why a physician might conduct a breast cancer risk assessment for their patient, and that is pretty common for a doctor to do, said Dr. Jennifer\u00a0Plichta, director of the Breast Risk Assessment Clinic at the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina. <\/p>\n

\u201cI personally think every woman should know what their risk of breast cancer is. I don\u2019t care if you think you\u2019re low risk or high risk. I think it\u2019s worth at least one discussion. Generally, a lot of the organizations are actually saying that conversations should start around the age of 25,\u201d\u00a0Plichta\u00a0said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen your doctor asks you a bunch of questions and it seems like they\u2019re being nosy, they\u2019re actually probably doing some kind of informal risk assessment in their head,\u201d she said. \u201cThen, you might take that next step of doing what we call a formal risk assessment, and you start using a mathematical model that has been developed to determine a woman\u2019s risk.\u201d <\/p>\n

If someone conducts their own risk assessment online, they should discuss their results with their doctor,\u00a0Plichta\u00a0said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody who does one of these risk assessments online should probably then follow it up with a conversation with their provider, just to make sure that they\u2019re understanding the meaning of what they found out and to make sure that they did it correctly,\u201d\u00a0Plichta\u00a0said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are definitely times where I\u2019ve had patients who we thought might be high risk, and I ran a little bit more of a nuanced or detailed risk assessment, and they weren\u2019t. And I\u2019ve also had the opposite happen,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I think the online tools are great for initiating a discussion. Some of these online models are a little bit generic. They\u2019re helpful, they definitely have a role, and it\u2019s a good place to start \u2013 but I don\u2019t think I would end the conversation there.\u201d <\/p>\n

A breast cancer risk assessment tool typically asks for a patient\u2019s age, the age of their first menstrual period, whether they\u2019ve had a breast biopsy, the age at which they may have had a full-term pregnancy and their family history of breast cancer, among other factors, Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, said in an email Wednesday. <\/p>\n

All of those factors are entered into an algorithm that calculates the risk score. Some people may score high even if they don\u2019t have known gene mutations associated with increased breast cancer risk. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a way of figuring out who is high risk and who is normal or low risk,\u201d Brawley said, adding that the average risk for a woman in her 40s is typically 0.9% for five years and about 12% for her lifetime. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt has some caveats, such as it may underestimate risk in Black women with previous biopsies and Hispanic women born outside the US,\u201d Brawley said of the assessment tools. <\/p>\n

\u201cI prefer women do this with a doc or genetic counselor who knows the drawbacks,\u201d he said. \u201cThe tool is useful but can make a woman worry her risk is greater than it really is or give false assurance that someone is low risk.\u201d <\/p>\n

Someone who scores high on a breast cancer risk assessment might be recommended for additional evaluations of the breast besides a typical mammogram, an X-ray picture of the breast. <\/p>\n

In Munn\u2019s case, she was sent to get an MRI or magnetic resonance imaging of the breast, which led to an ultrasound and then to a biopsy, she wrote in her Instagram post. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason that a person could have an MRI would be because they\u2019re calculated to have a higher risk of breast cancer on the basis of the mathematical model,\u201d said Dr. Larry Norton, a breast oncologist and medical director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. <\/p>\n

Mammograms evaluate two things, he said: the density of the breast tissue and calcifications in the breast, which are calcium deposits within breast tissue. <\/p>\n

However, \u201cMRIs look for blood vessels, because one of the things that cancers do when they become cancerous is, they develop abnormal blood vessels,\u201d Norton said. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo MRIs supplement mammograms. They don\u2019t replace mammograms in most people,\u201d he said. \u201cIn many high-risk individuals now, we do both mammograms and we do MRIs.\u201d <\/p>\n

For some women, a breast risk assessment tool may not be as accurate or appropriate, Robert Smith, senior vice president of early cancer detection science for the American Cancer Society, said in an email Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cA woman should note disclaimers about the use of the tool in women with a history of breast cancer, or who is a mutation carrier of a breast cancer susceptibility gene. If a woman has a history of multiple first and or second-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer, this tool is not appropriate for them,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor a woman at higher risk due to her family history, there are tools that are tailored for her circumstance,\u201d he said. \u201cMost women fall into a range of risk that is average, and the tool would not suggest that they should be screened any differently than currently recommended.\u201d <\/p>\n

When to screen for breast cancer<\/h2>\n

In a draft recommendation last year, the US Preventive Services Task Force proposed that all women at average risk of breast cancer start screening with mammograms at age 40 to reduce their risk of dying from the disease. <\/p>\n

The\u00a0USPSTF is a group of independent medical experts whose recommendations help guide doctors\u2019 decisions and influence insurance plans, and that draft recommendation aligns with what some groups, such as the American Cancer Society, have been recommending: for average-risk women to start mammograms in their 40s. <\/p>\n

The American Cancer Society recommends that women who are at\u00a0high risk\u00a0of breast cancer based on certain factors get a\u00a0breast MRI\u00a0and a mammogram every year, typically starting at age 30. <\/p>\n

Having access to a breast cancer risk assessment tool empowers patients, Dr. Ruth Oratz, a breast medical oncologist at NYU Langone Health\u2019s Perlmutter Cancer Center and clinical professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in an email Wednesday. <\/p>\n

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    <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    \u201cHaving information empowers patients. It is very important for people to be aware of their health risks, their family history, and their own personal medical conditions. All of these things can affect the risk of developing cancer,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

    \u201cDepending on level of risk, and the factors that contribute to that risk, women can take steps to help lower the possibility of developing breast cancer. It is important to have a healthy body weight and not be overweight. It is important to eat a healthy diet that is not overloaded with sugar and fat. Alcohol is a significant risk factor for breast cancer and we recommend that women do not drink alcohol every day and have no more than one or two drinks on the days that they do drink,\u201d Oratz said. <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe certainly recommend that people do not smoke. Remaining physically fit with exercise and some weight training to maintain muscle mass and strength also contributes to general overall health,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes medications are given to help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Each individual needs to discuss this with a breast cancer expert.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

    This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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