Future possibilities in the prevention of breast cancer - Role of genetic variation in breast cancer prevention

Risk factors for breast cancer are related to endogenous hormones and repro ductive events. As such, traditional cancer prevention strategies are not e asily applicable. Tamoxifen and other selective estrogen receptor modulator s (SERMs) offer a new preventive strategy for some high-risk women, but hav e not yet been shown to be efficacious for all women. New tools to identify high-risk women are needed. One such tool is the development of a multigen ic model of breast cancer susceptibility that can be used to screen women i n order to identify those who carry a combination of alleles that puts them at significantly increased risk.