Abstract
• Before a woman is a patient, she is a woman with her own biography. • The way a woman looks at her breast is a good indicator of her degree of self-confidence. • Women generally overestimate their risk of developing BC and, as a consequence, overrate the benefits that may be gained from screening or preventive measures. • Although many women with a strong family history do not have an identified genetic mutation, their potential serious risk should be properly considered. • BRCA1 and BRCA2 do not have the same effects, and recent reports show BRCA2 carriers are associated with better survival and therapeutic response than BRCA1 carriers.
Future Directions. Every woman faces the risk of developing cancer or she believes she does. Every diagnosis of BC may involve the entire family, while several half-truths and distortions are an obstacle to objectivity. The most challenging element in communication, becoming more and more crucial, is the actual perception and classification of the risk.
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Websites in Appendix: Screening, A-4.11; Risk Factors/Genetics, A-4.19.
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Pluchinotta, A.M., Saguatti, G., Zuccarello, D. (2015). The Asymptomatic Woman. In: Pluchinotta, A. (eds) The Outpatient Breast Clinic. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15907-2_2
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