Help Your Provider Help You: What to Know About Your Cancer Risk

When it comes to cancer prevention and screening, there isn’t always a one-size-fits-all approach. Your age and sex are important, but they’re only part of the picture.

As your healthcare provider, one of the most helpful things you can do is give us as complete a picture of your personal and family health history as possible. Those details can help us better understand your individual risk and determine which screenings may be appropriate for you - and when.

Know Your Family History

You may know that cancer “runs in the family,” but the details matter.

If possible, find out which family members have had cancer, what type of cancer they were diagnosed with, and approximately how old they were at the time of diagnosis. A breast cancer diagnosis at age 42, for example, may carry different implications for your risk assessment than the same diagnosis much later in life.

You don’t need to have a perfectly documented family tree. Share what you know, and update your provider when you learn something new.

Know Your Own Health History

Your previous screenings can also tell us important things about your future care.

One example is breast density. If you’ve had a mammogram, your report should include information about your breast density. Dense breast tissue can affect both breast cancer risk and how easily cancer can be seen on a mammogram, making this an important piece of information when discussing screening options.

Other personal risk factors matter, too. A history of tobacco use is a good example. Knowing approximately how many years you smoked and how much you typically smoked can help your provider determine whether additional screening should be considered.

The goal isn’t for you to know every medical guideline yourself. It’s to bring us the information we need to evaluate your risk as accurately as possible.

Expect Screening Recommendations to Change

Cancer screening guidelines aren’t static - and that’s a good thing.

Research is continually giving us new information about who benefits from certain screenings, when they should begin, and how frequently they should be performed. Your own risk can change over time as well. New family diagnoses, changes in your health, or simply getting older can influence what makes sense for you.

A recommendation that looks different today than it did several years ago doesn’t necessarily mean the previous recommendation was wrong. It may mean we know more now.

Come Prepared, and Keep the Conversation Going

You don’t have to figure out your cancer risk on your own. That’s what your healthcare team is here for.

But the more information you can bring to the conversation, the better equipped we are to help you make informed decisions about prevention and screening.

Before your next visit, consider taking a few minutes to gather what you know about your family cancer history, review your previous screening results, and make note of any personal risk factors you may want to discuss.

Cancer prevention is an ongoing conversation - and one worth revisiting as both your health and the science continue to evolve.

— Angela Burch, PA-C