Prevalence of high-risk individuals for breast/ovarian cancer in a general Iranian female population using the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study (IBIS) risk calculation tool

Abstract

Objectives: Various risk assessment tools have been developed to evaluate the risk of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. This study aims to estimate the risk of breast/ovarian cancer in a sample of the general population in Iran using the IBIS software.Methods: A total of 2020 women aged 18-79 years were consecutively selected from the gynecology clinic of Imam Hossein Medical Center between April 2019 and 2021. The Tyrer-Cusick (IBIS) questionnaire was used to collect data on variables such as age, BMI, age at menarche, age at first pregnancy, menopausal status, history of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and family history of breast/ovarian cancer. The risks of developing breast/ovarian cancer were calculated, with patients having a calculated risk of more than 20% considered high-risk and those below 20% considered low-risk.Results: Out of the 2020 cases studied, 69 (3.4%) were classified as high-risk for developing breast/ovarian cancer. The moderate risk of breast/ovarian cancer in patients with a positive family history was 18.47%, compared to 10.15% in those without a family history. All high-risk individuals had a positive family history, while only 9.4% of the low-risk population had a family history; this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001).Conclusion: Routine assessment of family history of cancer in all patients is recommended, with positive cases being further evaluated using a cancer risk assessment tool and referred for genetic counseling as appropriate.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• ovarian cancer
• risk assessment tool
• ibis