The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT) has been updated to better deal with Asian American women. BCRAT is used to estimate the risk for women of developing invasive breast cancer and was originally based on the GAIL model developed from data on white women. Later revisions of the tool improved modeling for African-American women, and the last version incorporates a recent analysis of Asian and Pacific Islander American women and cancer. This is a welcome change from medical professionals who won’t acknowledge that Asian American women do get breast cancer.
The tool should only be used in consultation with a physician, and come with disclaimers, such as it may overestimate risks for women who have recently immigrated to the United States from regions of Asia where breast cancer risk is low. It may not be appropriate for women living outside the United States and is not appropriate with women whose families have a strong history of breast cancer.
