At a glance
This page provides the algorithm for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer for the MFHP: Cancer app, available for iOS and Android. This algorithm assesses risk based only on family health history and does not account for other factors that affect risk, such as age, body mass index, physical activity, and alcohol use.
Personal and family health history risk factors for "Increased Risk" result
- You have a personal history of breast cancer.
- Any of your first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, children) had breast cancer.
- You or any relative (parent, sibling, half-sibling, child, grandparent, aunt, uncle) had ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer.
- You or any relative had pancreatic cancer.
- You or any relative had prostate cancer.
- You or any relative had breast cancer before age 40.
- You or any relative had breast cancer before age 50.
- You or any relative had triple-negative breast cancer.
- You or any relative had breast cancer before age 60.
- You or any relative had breast cancer in both breasts.
- You or a family member had male breast cancer.
- You are Ashkenazi/Eastern European Jewish.
- You or a relative has a known BRCA1, BRCA2 or other pathogenic (disease-causing) mutation.
- If "Check here if your parents are related to each other in any way other than marriage" is NOT checked, and the following people had one or more of the cancers listed below (can be different for each person):
- You and two or more relatives on the same side of the family (mother's or father's side)
- Three or more relatives on the same side of the family
- Three or more occurrences of the cancers listed below on the same side of the family (in other words, one person has more than one type of cancer)
If "Check here if your parents are related to each other in any way other than marriage” IS checked, and the following people had one or more of the cancers listed below (can be different for each person):
- You and two or more relatives
- Three or more relatives
- Three or more occurrences of the cancers listed below (in other words, one person has more than one type of cancer)
If any of 1-14 are positive, result is "Increased Risk."
"What to do next" output
All outputs include links to "Learn more about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer" and "Learn more about genetic testing and counseling."
If #1 is positive, output is
Talk with your healthcare provider about
- Your risk and family history of cancer
- Appropriate follow-up care and screening
Share this information with your family members
If you are female, under age 40, #1 is negative, and #2 is positive, output is
Talk with your healthcare provider about
- Your risk and family history of cancer
- When to start mammograms or other screening
- If genetic counseling and screening are right for you
Share this information with your family members
If you are female, between ages 40-49, #1 is negative, and #2 is positive, output is
Talk with your healthcare provider about
- Your risk and family history of cancer
- When to start mammograms or other screening if you have not already started
- If genetic counseling and screening are right for you
Share this information with your family members
If you are female, between age 50 or over, #1 is negative, and #2 is positive, output is
Talk with your healthcare provider about
- Your risk and family history of cancer
- Starting mammograms or other screening if you are not already getting them
- If genetic counseling and screening are right for you
Share this information with your family members
If #1–2 are negative and one or more of #3–14 are positive, output is
Talk with your healthcare provider about
- Your risk and family history of cancer
- Appropriate screening and follow-up
- If genetic counseling and screening are right for you
Share this information with your family members
If you are male and none are positive or only #2 is positive, output is
- Be sure to update your family history with any new cancer diagnoses
- Share this information with your family members
If you are female and none are positive, output is
- Be sure to update your family history with any new cancer diagnoses
- Start getting mammograms at age 50
Algorithm based on information from
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic Guidelines (nccn.org)
- Recommendation: BRCA-Related Cancer: Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing | United States Preventive Services Taskforce (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)
- Recommendation: Breast Cancer: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)