MSK RISE: High Risk Breast Cancer Screening Program
Overview
RISE (Risk Assessment, Imaging, Surveillance, and Education) is a breast cancer screening program. Our experts will assess whether you’re at higher risk for breast cancer. If you are, we’ll make a long-term surveillance plan just for you.
Surveillance means monitoring or watching. This program monitors you for early signs of breast cancer. You’ll get regular breast exams and imaging tests. This helps us find changes in your breasts early, often before you have symptoms.
We will watch you by screening for breast cancer on a schedule that’s right for your level of risk. We use the latest imaging methods. They include ultrasound, digital mammography, contrast enhanced mammography, tomosynthesis, and breast MRI.
Imaging can help us find very early breast tumors. An MSK radiologist who is an expert in breast imaging will review your images. A radiologist is a doctor with special training in using imaging to diagnose and treat disease.
Many people with breast cancer have some family history of the disease. But only 5 to 10 out of every 100 cases of breast cancer are linked to genetics.
Hereditary breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that happens because of genetic changes that are passed down through generations in a family. These changes (called mutations or variants) raise the risk of getting breast cancer.
Your risk for breast cancer may be 2 to 3 times higher than average if a close family member had it, too. This includes your mother, sister, or daughter.
Many, but not all, cases of hereditary breast cancer are linked to mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2.
You can learn more about risk factors for breast cancer. A risk factor is anything that raises your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer.
If you think you may be at risk for breast cancer, talk with a healthcare provider. Ask if you’re at average, intermediate, or high risk for getting breast cancer. Your risk level shows the type of screening that’s best for you, and the best screening schedule.
- 3D mammography is also called tomosynthesis (toh-moh-SIN-thuh-sis). It takes very detailed 3D pictures using low-dose X-rays. Dense tissue and lumps are the same color in regular mammograms. Lumps that may be cancer are easier to see on 3D mammograms.
- Contrast-enhanced mammograms use iodinated contrast dye. This makes it easier to find new blood vessels that start when cancers grow.
- Breast ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of your breast tissue.
- Breast MRI is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test. We put fluids inside the breast that let us see the breast images more clearly. A breast MRI makes very detailed pictures of your breast.
MSK uses the latest imaging equipment, including advanced machines that many local community hospitals do not have.
Everyone screened for breast cancer at MSK will get a 3D mammogram, in Manhattan or at our regional sites. We offer screening at the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center in Manhattan.
MSK offers breast cancer treatment at locations in New York City, New Jersey, Westchester County, and on Long Island.
When you call, a Care Advisor will help answer your questions. The advisor will ask you for some basic information and help schedule your appointment at an MSK location nearest you.
Program details
Before your first visit, we’ll send you a link to a secure online questionnaire about your health, background, and family history of cancer.
During your first visit, our breast cancer screening expert will meet with you to review your answers. They'll do a breast exam.
They’ll ask about risk factors, such as a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. They will ask about atypical hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ, or past chest radiation.
We may recommend you talk with our Clinical Genetics Service. Genetic counselors can tell you about testing for changes (mutations or variants) in genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2. They can assess if you’re at higher risk because of the genes you were born with.
If you have a higher risk for breast cancer, we’ll make a personal plan for you through RISE.
- Screening you for breast cancer on a schedule that makes sense for your level of risk.
- Teaching you how to check your breasts for changes. This is called a breast self-exam.
- Talk with you about medicines that can help lower your risk for breast cancer.
- Talk with you about lifestyle changes. Good nutrition and exercise can lower the chances you develop breast cancer.
- You may be able to join breast cancer research studies, also known as clinical trials.
If you’re not at higher risk, we may recommend you get a breast screening each year. MSK has a Breast Screening Program.
Clinical Director of RISE
Nurse Practitioner
MSK has experts in more than 400 cancers. People cared for at MSK and other expert cancer centers regularly do better than at community hospitals. MSK offers clinical trials that test new treatments, often not available elsewhere. We have one of the country’s largest cancer clinical trials programs.
Common questions about MSK RISE
How often will I get screened for breast cancer?
We'll monitor you by screening for breast cancer on a schedule that’s right for your level of risk. We'll use the latest imaging methods. They include ultrasound, digital mammography, contrast enhanced mammography, tomosynthesis, and breast MRI.
Imaging can help us find very early breast cancer tumors. An MSK radiologist who is an expert in breast imaging will review your images. A radiologist is a doctor with special training in using imaging to diagnose and treat disease.
How do I check my breasts for changes (self-examination)?
Breast self-awareness means being familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel. One way you can be aware of how your breasts look and feel is by doing a breast self-exam (BSE).
Our nurses are experts in showing people the right way to do these exams. They'll make sure you know how to do them on your own.
Can MSK help me cope with the side effects of breast cancer treatment?
We’re experts in managing the side effects of breast cancer treatment.
Pain management is an important part of cancer care. MSK was the first cancer center in the country to have a service just for treating pain in people with cancer. Our pain experts will help relieve or manage pain after surgery. They can help while you’re still in the hospital, and after you’re home.
We have a team of experts who manage the symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment, such as nausea during chemotherapy.
MSK has a program for treating lymphedema, a type of swelling after breast cancer treatment.
Does MSK offer counseling and other support services?
We offer counseling and support to help you manage anxiety, depression, anger, or loneliness. There are individual and group counseling sessions, both in person and through telemedicine visits. Counseling is open to you and your family, separately or together.
We also run support groups and programs if you want to talk with other people going through a similar experience. Our social workers can offer information about how to talk about your diagnosis with family members, work colleagues, and friends.
