Gail Score: Understanding Your Breast Cancer Risk

A Gail score is a indicator of your risk for breast cancer. This score, which is named after Dr. Mitchell Gail, is obtained by using the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool. Although this test can't predict whether you will get breast cancer in the future, it can tell women ages 35 and older if they are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Having this knowledge can help you to be more vigilant about early detection methods like exams and mammograms. Your doctor can figure a Gail score for you, or you can find out your score yourself by using an online test.

Instructions

• 1

  Go to the National Cancer Institute's website at www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/.

• 2

  Click on Yes or No for question 1, which asks if you have a personal history of breast cancer.

• 3

  Click on your age for question 2.

• 4

  Select the age at which you began menstruation in question 3.

• 5

  Click on the age you were when you gave birth to your first live child for question 4.

• 6

  Click on the number of close relatives who have had breast cancer in question 5.

• 7

  Click on the appropriate information in question 6 concerning whether you've ever had a breast biopsy.

• 8

  Click on your race in question 7.

• 9

  Click the "Calculate Risk" button at the bottom of the test to find out your estimated risk of contracting breast cancer within the next five years, as well as within your lifetime up to age 90.