A review on family history of breast cancer: screening and counseling proposals for women with familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer.

With the aim to specify screening recommendations for women with familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer (FBC) we analysed 59 studies using quantitative methods of pooling. The pooled relative risk (RR) and cumulative probability were used to estimate breast cancer risk. The RRs for women with a family history of breast cancer in a first-degree relative was 2.03 (95% CI 1.09-2.22). The highest RR is observed for women with a family history and atypical hyperplasia in their breast biopsy specimen (RR = 10.87, 95% CI 6.05-19.69). A high cumulative probability before the age of 50 was only found for women with a combination of two risk factors: a family history and atypical hyperplasia, namely 19% (95% CI 11-33%). The cumulative probabilities of women aged 50 to 70 years who have a family history were between 11% (95% CI 9-13%, a family history in combination with age at first birth before 22 years) and 53% (95% CI 35-75%, a family history in combination with atypical hyperplasia). These high risks suggest that women over 50 years of age who have a family history of FBC have to be actively encouraged to participate in a screening program consisting of a biannual palpation by a specialist, an annual mammogram and a monthly self-control. Yearly screening is recommended for women under 50 years of age who have a family history and atypical hyperplasia. These recommendations remain valid until the effectiveness of such screening programs is assessed.