family history in breast cancer

Women with close relatives who've been diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher risk of developing the disease.
If you've had one first-degree female relative (sister, mother, daughter) diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk is doubled. If two first-degree relatives have been diagnosed, your risk is 5 times higher than average.
If your brother or father have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk is higher, though researchers aren't sure how much higher.
In some cases, a strong family history of breast cancer is linked to having an abnormal gene associated with a high risk of breast cancer, such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. In other cases, an abnormal CHEK2 gene may play a role in developing breast cancer.
Hormonal therapy medicines: SERMs (selective estrogen receptor modulators) have been shown to reduce the risk of developing hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in women at high risk. Tamoxifen and Evista (chemical name: raloxifene) are the two SERMs used in this way.

• Tamoxifen has been shown to reduce the risk of first-time hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in both postmenopausal and premenopausal women at high risk. Certain medicines may interfere with tamoxifen's protective effects. Visit the tamoxifen page to learn more.
• Evista has been shown to reduce the risk of first-time hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Visit the Evista page to learn more.

Hormonal therapy medicines do not reduce the risk of hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer.
Together, you and your doctor can decide if medicine to lower your risk is a good option for you.
More frequent screening: If you're at high risk because of a strong family history of breast cancer, you and your doctor will develop a screening plan tailored to your unique situation. Recommended screening guidelines include:

• a monthly breast self-exam
• a yearly breast exam by your doctor or nurse practitioner
• a mammogram every year starting at age 40

Your personal screening plan also may include the following tests to detect any cancer as early as possible:

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the breast
• ultrasound

You may have these tests more often than a woman at average risk. So you might have one screening test -- a mammogram, say -- and then have a different test -- an MRI -- 6 months later. Before or after each screening test, your doctor may perform a breast exam. You also may start having these tests earlier than age 40.