Chemoprevention of Breast Cancer Among Women at Elevated Risk As Defined by Gail Score

The risk of an individual woman to develop breast cancer over a 5-year period can be estimated using the Gail Model. The risk factors included in this model effectively classify patients into two different subgroups. One subgroup comprises patients at increased risk because of increased exposure to estrogen. These women are more likely to benefit from endocrine chemopreventive therapies, namely selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and aromatase inhibitors (AIs). The second subgroup comprises women who have inherited genetic mutations that predispose them to breast cancer. Chemoprevention in these patients is more likely to be achieved by novel agents, such as lapatinib, gefitinib, fenretinide, rexinoids and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-inhibitors.