Identifying Your Risk Of Breast Cancer

Knowing your risk of breast cancer will not prevent it from happening. However, many women still would like to know their individual level of risk. There are tools available to determine what your risk might be, such as the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (http://bcra.nci.nih.gov/brc) and the Halls Detailed Breast Cancer Risk Calculator (http://www.halls.md/breast/risk.htm). After answering a few key questions, your risk will be determined as a percentage. In order to fully understand this percentage, you should make an appointment with your physician. Remember that your risk level does not tell you whether you will or will not get breast cancer. A woman with very low risk can still develop breast cancer, whereas a woman with a relatively high risk might not. All women should take breast cancer seriously, regardless of risk.