The Gail Model for Assessing Risk
The
Gail Model is one of the models that have been developed to quantify a
woman's risk of developing breast cancer. The model incorporates a
series of questions related to breast cancer risk factors. Answers to
the questions are calculated into a Gail risk score. A woman's risk is
considered high if she scores above 1.66 percent. (All women who are
over 60 have a score of at least 1.66 and are considered high risk,
based on the Gail Model. Women younger than 60 have to have the score
of a 60-year-old woman [1.66] to be considered high risk.) Women who
score high on the test are encouraged to have increased surveillance
and to consider breast cancer risk-reduction options.
The Gail
Model is often used in research studies to evaluate which women are at
high risk for developing breast cancer. Yet there are real concerns
about the Gail Model's ability to predict risk in populations other
than white US women (and even among these women it has accuracy
problems).
To assess your own risk, you can use the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool.
Learn more about risk reduction options for women with a Gail risk score of 1.66 or higher.
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