Questions You May Want to Ask Your Health Care Provider – Breast Cancer Risk

For those at average risk of breast cancer

• What breast cancer risk factors are important for me?
• What steps can I take to try and lower my risk of breast cancer?
• How can I assess my risk of breast cancer? How accurate are the methods? How will this information help me?
• What breast cancer screening tests should I have? When should I start? How often should I get screened?
• How do I find out if I have dense breasts? How does having dense breasts affect my risk of breast cancer? What breast cancer screening tests should I have?
• What’s the best way to manage menopausal symptoms? Is menopausal hormone therapy a safe way to manage them? Are there other options to consider?

For women at high risk of breast cancer

• Should I take a risk-lowering drug (such as tamoxifen)? What are the benefits and risks for me?
• What about risk-reducing mastectomy or risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy?
• What breast cancer screening tests should I have? Can you discuss options, such as breast MRI? When should I start screening? How often should I get screened?
• What’s the best way to manage menopausal symptoms? Is menopausal hormone therapy a safe way to manage them? Are there other options to consider?
• Are there clinical trials enrolling people at high risk of breast cancer? If so, how can I learn more?

Learn more about options for women at higher risk of breast cancer.

If you’ve been told you’re at higher risk for breast cancer, it may be helpful to download and print some of Susan G. Komen®‘s resources. For example, we have a Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Inherited Gene Mutations resource and a Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Breast Density resource.

You can download and print these resources to bring with you to your next doctor’s appointment or you can save them on your computer, tablet or phone using an app such as Adobe. Plenty of space and a notes section are provided to write or type the answers to the questions.

There are other Questions to Ask Your Doctor resources on many different breast cancer topics you may wish to download.

For women with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)

• What is LCIS? Is it invasive breast cancer?
• Should I take a risk-lowering drug (such as tamoxifen)? What are the benefits and risks for me?
• What breast cancer screening tests should I have? Can you discuss options, such as breast MRI? When should I start screening? How often should I get screened?
• Are there clinical trials enrolling people with LCIS? If so, how can I learn more?
• What will my long-term follow-up care include? Who will oversee that care?
• What are my chances of developing non-invasive or invasive breast cancer in the future?
• What’s the best way to manage menopausal symptoms? Is menopausal hormone therapy a safe way to manage them? Are there other options to consider?

Learn about LCIS and breast cancer risk.

For women considering genetic testing

• Should my family and I consider genetic testing? What are the benefits and risks of genetic testing for me and my family? What things should we consider before getting genetic testing?
• Can you recommend a genetic counselor to help me and my family decide if genetic testing is right for us?
• How much does genetic testing cost? Does my insurance cover it?

Learn more about genetic testing.

For women who’ve had breast cancer

• What healthy behaviors might help reduce my risk of breast cancer recurrence and improve my survival?
• How does having breast cancer affect the risk of breast cancer for my family members?
• What lifestyle behaviors can help my family members lower their risk of breast cancer?
• Should my family and I consider genetic testing? What things should we consider before getting genetic testing?
• Can you recommend a genetic counselor to help me and my family decide if genetic testing is right for us?
• How much does genetic testing cost? Does my insurance cover it?
• Since women who’ve had breast cancer should avoid menopausal hormone therapy, what’s the best way for me to manage menopausal symptoms?

Learn more about talking with your health care provider. 

Updated 03/29/23