08/21/2026
DO YOU KNOW YOUR LIFETIME BREAST CANCER RISK?
Most women don’t. And many assume their doctor has already assessed it.
Don’t assume. Please take a few minutes to find out.
Experts recommend that women have their breast cancer risk assessed starting at age 25. And it shouldn’t be a one-time assessment. Risk can change throughout your life, so reassess when your health, family history or other risk factors change.
One way to better understand your risk is the Tyrer-Cuzick (IBIS) breast cancer risk calculator, a validated tool widely used in clinical practice. It takes only a few minutes to complete. The calculator considers factors including:
• Your age, height and weight
• Your breast density, if known
• When you started your periods
• Pregnancy history and age at first birth
• Menopause and hormone replacement therapy
• Previous breast biopsies and certain high-risk breast lesions
• Breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer in your family — on both your mother's AND father's sides
• The ages at which relatives were diagnosed
• Certain genetic mutations, if known
Why does knowing your risk matter?
Because your level of risk can determine how you should be screened.
Women at high risk need more intensive screening than routine mammography. If your Tyrer-Cuzick assessment estimates your lifetime risk at 25% or higher, save or screenshot your results and take them to your doctor or nurse practitioner. Ask to have your risk formally assessed and whether you should be referred to the appropriate high-risk screening pathway or program in your province.
Eligibility criteria and referral pathways vary across Canada, and an online score alone does not necessarily qualify you for a high-risk program. But a high score deserves appropriate follow-up.
Women who qualify for high-risk screening generally receive annual breast MRI in addition to mammography.
Start at 25. Reassess as your risk factors change.
It takes only a few minutes to learn something that could change how you are screened.
Know your risk. Know your screening options. Advocate for yourself. Message us at 416-809-7976 if you have any questions. Here is the link to the Tyrer- Cuzick. Please share too https://magview.com/ibis-risk-calculator/
