Decision making in breast cancer prevention

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women and the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 45-60 in most developed countries. The efficacy of prevention options has been established and includes lifestyle modifications, chemoprevention, and prophylactic surgery. Despite the efficacy of these options, breast cancer prevention remains underused, resulting in avoidable morbidity and mortality. Here, the main barriers to effective use of breast cancer prevention are outlined and a framework to facilitate patient-centered and evidence-based breast cancer prevention decision making is presented. The framework is intended to encourage a shared decision making approach to prevention decisions, within the context of a woman’s overall health. The inclusion of effective lifestyle interventions makes this framework relevant to most women, and is not exclusive to women at increased risk of developing breast cancer.