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Which factors in your family give an increased risk of breast cancer?

Interpreting the risk of getting breast cancer from your family history is complicated.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is putting together guidelines about what a family history of breast cancer is.

The questionnaire below is based on the NICE guidelines on familial breast cancer. It is designed to help you to find out whether to go to your GP and have your risk of hereditary breast cancer assessed, based on your family history. When doing this questionnaire please note:

  • You should only include blood relatives (and not people who are only related to you through marriage).
  • You need to look at both your mother's and your father's sides of the family.
  • Cancers matching the descriptions below need to have occurred in the same blood line (this means either all on your mother's side or all on your father's side) to make your family history of the disease significant.
  • Closely related family members include: parents, grandparents, brothers,sisters, half-brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and children. Health professionals will refer to these as first and second degree relatives.
  • The definition of family history used here is deliberately cautious. It is always better to go to your GP if you have concerns than to sit at home and worry.

1Has more than one closely related
family member been diagnosed with breast cancer? 		Yes - go to 2 No - go to 4
2There have been at least 2 cases of breast cancer among your closely related family members. Has there been a case of breast cancer in your mother, sister or daughter? Yes - go to 7 No - go to 3
3Have there been 3 or more cases of breast cancer amongst your closely related family members? Yes - go to 8 No - go to 6
4One of your closely related family members has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Were they diagnosed with breast cancer when they were less than 40 years old? Yes - go to 5 No - go to 6
5One of your closely related family members was diagnosed with breast cancer when they were less than 40 years old. Was this incidence of breast cancer in your mother, sister or daughter?Yes - go to 9 No - go to 6
6Have there been any cases of:
  • bilateral breast cancer (cancer in both breasts)?
  • male breast cancer?
  • ovarian cancer?
  • other cancers or sarcomas diagnosed in closely related family members before the age of 45?
  • Or do you have Jewish ancestry?
Yes to any of these - go to 10 No to all of these - go to 11
7At least 2 cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed in your closely related family members, at least one of which was in your mother, sister or daughter. It is a good idea for you to go to your GP and seek a medical opinion on your family history.
8There have been 3 or more cases of breast cancer diagnosed amongst your closely related family members. It is a good idea for you to go to your GP and seek a medical opinion on your family history.
9Your mother, sister or daughter has been diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40. It is a good idea for you to go to your GP and seek a medical opinion on your family history.
10You have one or more cases of breast cancer among closely related family members, which has included bilateral breast cancer, or male breast cancer, or ovarian cancer, or other cancers at a young age or Jewish ancestry. It is a good idea for you to go to your GP and seek a medical opinion on your family history.
11You have 1 closely related family member diagnosed with breast cancer, when over 40 years old and no additional closely related cancers. This is not considered to be a strong family history of breast cancer. However, if you still have concerns then you should visit your GP who can check your family history with you and provide you with more information.


This information has been shown in a different way by Cancer Research UK.



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