Study: New tool to predict breast cancer risk for Black women

Contents

STUDY AT A GLANCE

What is this study about?

This study is about a breast cancer risk prediction tool designed specifically for Black women in the United States.

Why is this study important?

Breast cancer risk prediction tools are used to guide decisions on screening and prevention. Current risk prediction tools use various risk factors to estimate a person’s breast cancer risk and/or the likelihood that they have an inherited mutation that increases their risk. These tools do not estimate risk as well for Black women as they do for white women. Because Black women on average are diagnosed with breast cancer at earlier ages than white women and are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease, researchers wanted to develop a tool that can be used by Black women and their healthcare providers to better determine risk for developing breast cancer.

Separate tools are used to calculate the risk for having an inherited mutation, such as BRCA1 or BRCA. This research study did not look at the tools to predict the likelihood of someone having a BRCA mutation.

Study findings

Data specifically collected from Black women in the United States were used to make and validate this tool. Over 3,000 Black women with breast cancer and 3,000 women without breast cancer (aged 30-69 years) were included in the development of this breast cancer risk prediction tool. The tool uses a woman’s personal medical and reproductive history and the history of breast cancer and prostate cancer among her first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, children) to estimate her breast cancer risk.

The tool was tested using data from the Black Women’s Health Study.  This is an ongoing study of almost 60,000 self-identified Black women in the U.S.  The validation data set included just over 1,500 women with breast cancer.

• Among Black women, this new tool was more accurate than any other currently available risk prediction tool (e.g., those developed using data mostly from white women).
• The new tool worked best for Black women under age 40.
• All information needed for the tool was provided by the women themselves.  No other test was needed.

The online risk calculator can be found here.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

• The tool was derived and tested with data from Black women in the U.S.
• This tool works best for Black women under age 40.

Limitations

• This tool works best for young Black women. While it can be used by older Black women, additional research may improve the tool’s ability to predict breast cancer risk for these women.
• While the tool asks about a woman’s personal and family history of breast cancer as well as her family history of prostate cancer, it does not include her personal or familial history of ovarian, pancreatic and other cancers that are related to BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and other high-risk genes. Thus, it is likely that this tool will underestimate breast cancer risk in women with inherited mutations.

What does this mean for me?

Your breast cancer risk may affect your medical options for screening and cancer prevention. This new tool allows more accurately predicts breast cancer risk for Black women in the U.S. If you are a Black woman (especially under age 40), you and your healthcare providers can use this tool to gain a better estimate of your cancer risk.  

If your risk for breast cancer is high, you may be eligible for the following options:

• Beginning mammograms at an earlier age
• Additional screening with breast MRI
• Tamoxifen, raloxifene or other medications to lower your risk

It’s important to note that although this tool improves breast cancer risk assessment in Black women, it’s one of several tools that can be used together to accurately assess overall cancer risk. Additional tools can be used to estimate the risk of having an inherited mutation linked to cancer. Women with a personal or family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer should speak with their doctor for a referral for genetic counseling and testing. Experts have separate guidelines for women who test positive for an inherited mutation linked to breast cancer risk. The exact recommendations depend on which gene has a mutation.

Conclusion

This breast cancer risk prediction tool can be used by Black women in the U.S. who are ages 30-70 and their healthcare providers. This tool was better at predicting risk in Black women under age 40. This tool can help doctors better tailor breast cancer screening and prevention based on a person’s risk. By helping to identify Black women who are at higher than average risk, this tool may also help women make decisions about whether or not to participate in research studies on new ways to lower breast cancer risk. By providing more accurate information about risk, it is hoped that this tool can help reduce racial disparities in deaths due to breast cancer by offering women more precise information on which to base their medical decisions.

References

Palmer JR, Zirpoli G, Bertrand KA, et al., A Validated Risk Prediction Model for Breast Cancer in US Black Women. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2021 Dec 1;39(34):3866-3877. Published online 2021 October 8, 2021.

Disclosure: FORCE receives funding from industry sponsors, including companies that manufacture cancer drugs, tests and devices. All XRAYS articles are written independently of any sponsor and are reviewed by members of our Scientific Advisory Board before publication to assure scientific integrity.

Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash.

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posted 3/22/22