Hackensack Meridian Health offers new software to identify patients at high risk of developing breast cancer

With the news of Olivia Munn’s breast cancer diagnosis, there is hope for women who may be at risk. It’s an assessment tool  that uses software to statistically determine a person’s chances of getting breast cancer – even after having “a normal mammogram,” as in Munn’s case.

At Hackensack Meridian every woman who receives a mammogram benefits from this advanced software that generates a risk assessment and provides physicians with critical information to better identify those at high risk for breast cancer that may benefit from enhanced or more intense screening.  

It allows physicians to create a customized, more personalized screening plan for each woman that helps to reduce risks, facilitate early detention and even potentially prevent breast cancer. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Furthermore, according to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women next to lung cancer. This makes it imperative for women to not only receive regular mammography screening but, together with their health care providers, to understand their personal risk of developing breast cancer so that they can transition to additional care if necessary.

In Munn’s case, the 43 year old actress, wrote in an Instagram post yesterday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and would not have discovered it if her physician had not calculated her breast cancer risk score. Using that assessment, she said her doctor discovered that her lifetime risk for breast cancer was 37%. Because of that score, Munn said she had additional evaluations, leading to her diagnosis and ultimately the decision to have double mastectomy. 

The risk assessment used at HMH also facilitates convenient integration with advanced genetic counseling offered throughout Hackensack Meridian Health. Once a need for genetic testing or other follow-up care has been determined, the software makes it easy for health care providers to track the patient’s progress, update their risk profile, and generate additional communications, including educational and medical necessity materials.

We have breast cancer doctors available to speak about this topic and provide more insight into the steps every woman should take. Please let me know if you would like to arrange an interview. 

(Newswise/VV)