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Current Topics in Menopause, 2013, 213-253 213<br />
CHAPTER 9<br />
Assessing and Managing the Risk of Breast Cancer in<br />
Postmenopausal Women: Opportunities and Challenges<br />
Victor G. Vogel *<br />
Geisinger Health System, 100 N Academy Avenue, Danville, PA 17822-2001, USA<br />
Abstract: A number of factors are known to increase the risk of developing breast cancer.<br />
The most important of these is age, but race and ethnicity are associated with important<br />
differences in risk. Nulliparity and birth events, benign breast disease, and the use of<br />
replacement hormonal therapy at menopause also contribute to risk. Family history and the<br />
presence of predisposing genetic mutations are important factors as is ethanol consumption.<br />
Circulating estrogen levels can stratify risk, but their use in clinical settings is not routine.<br />
Risk for breast cancer can be easily and rapidly assessed in the clinic, and validated,<br />
quantitative models are available to accomplish this task. Mammographic breast density<br />
identifies postmenopausal women who are at increased risk. Multiple, published,<br />
randomized studies show that the selective estrogen response modifiers (SERMs)<br />
tamoxifen and raloxifene can safely reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in both preand<br />
postmenopausal women. Tamoxifen provides net benefit to all premenopausal women<br />
who are at increased risk while raloxifene reduces risk nearly as much in postmenopausal<br />
women and offers increased safety. Both tamoxifen and raloxifene reduce both the<br />
incidence of in situ cancers and bone fractures. Women with a history of benign breast<br />
disease and a family history of invasive breast cancer in first-degree relatives and women<br />
with lobular carcinoma in situ derive substantial net benefit when using SERMs for breast<br />
cancer risk reduction. Of the 50 million white women in the U.S. aged 35 to 79 years, 2.4<br />
million would have a positive benefit/risk index for chemoprevention.<br />
Keywords: Quantitative Risk Assessment; Risk Reduction; Primary Prevention;<br />
Selective Estrogen Response Modifiers; Tamoxifen, Raloxifene.<br />
CLASSICAL RISK FACTORS FOR BREAST CANCER<br />
Send Orders of Reprints at bspsaif@emirates.net.ae<br />
All women are at risk for breast cancer, and the most important single risk factor<br />
is age (Fig. 1). The risk of breast cancer increases throughout a woman’s lifetime,<br />
and the annual incidence of breast cancer in women in the United States 80 to 85<br />
years old is 15 times higher than that in women 30 to 35 years old. It is not known<br />
*Address correspondence to Victor G. Vogel: Geisinger Health System, 100 N. Academy Ave., M.C. 20-<br />
01, Danville, PA 7822-2001, USA; Tel: 570-271-8228, Fax: 570-214-9883; E-mail: vgvogel@geisinger.edu.<br />
Volodymyr Dvornyk (Ed)<br />
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