A Review of the Literature for Individualizing Women's Care Through Breast Cancer Risk Assessment

Breast cancer is well recognized as a leading type of cancer affecting women in the United States. Although breast cancer screening is well supported in the literature, there is a lack of clear agreement regarding which breast cancer risk calculating tools should be used to develop personalized screening regimens. In this review of 11 primary articles published from 2017 through 2022, we assess current evidence on breast cancer risk assessment in outpatient clinic and mammography settings and the pivotal role of health care providers in influencing patients' choices regarding individualized screenings. Risk assessment is strongly recommended by multiple clinical practice guidelines, yet there is inadequate evidence to endorse one risk assessment tool as best practice. Further research is needed to integrate risk assessment within the clinic workflow and screening encounters. Patient-centered communication and shared decision-making are critical components for managing each woman's perceived risk and objective risk for breast cancer.