Breast Clinic

Patient-centered care

Compassionate care helps people at high risk of breast cancer decide what treatment options are best for them.

If you are at high risk of developing breast cancer, specialists at the High Risk Breast Clinic at Mayo Clinic listen to your concerns and help you weigh your options and develop a plan. The High Risk Breast Clinic is available at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota.

The multispecialty High Risk Breast Clinic is designed for people with an increased risk of breast cancer due to familial or breast biopsy-based risk factors. Our caring, multidisciplinary team is made up of experts in breast health and screening, including internal medicine and breast imaging, genetics, oncology, and surgery. They work with you to develop a personalized risk management plan. Plans might include additional screening, breast cancer chemoprevention and preventive surgeries, such as prophylactic mastectomy and prophylactic oophorectomy.

The benefits to receiving your care in the High Risk Breast Clinic include:

• Patient-centered care focused on your needs
• World-class multidisciplinary expertise on a single campus
• Individualized genetics assessment
• High-resolution breast screening technologies, including molecular breast imaging, 3D mammograms (tomosynthesis) and breast MRI
• Appointments may be available within 48 hours at some locations
• Ability to preschedule surgery and breast reconstruction consults, as appropriate
• Expertise in all forms of breast surgery
• Nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction
• Immediate and thorough assessment of the tissue at the time of breast surgery (frozen section pathology)
• Innovative breast reconstruction techniques, including prepectoral implants (placement of the implant in front of the chest wall muscle) and microsurgical flaps
• Evaluation and management of ovarian cancer risk
• Access to research advances and ability to participate in pioneering clinical trials
• Unparalleled care from compassionate and empathetic care team

Risk factors

The High Risk Breast Clinic specializes in the following risk factors:

• Familial and genetic factors. These include a family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer or a gene mutation in yourself or family members. Gene mutations include:
• BRCA1 or BRCA2
• ATM, BARD1, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, EPCAM, FANCC, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, NBN, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, TP53 and XRCC2
• Neurofibromatosis
• Other hereditary syndromes with potential breast cancer risk
• High risk based on risk assessment model. You and your doctor can use results from a breast cancer risk assessment to determine if you have an increased risk of breast cancer.
• Tissue-based (breast biopsy) findings. These include atypical ductal hyperplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Other benign breast diagnoses include:
• Flat epithelial atypia
• Cytologic atypia
• Papilloma
• Sclerosing adenosis
• Radial scar
• Other. For example, another risk factor is a history of radiation therapy to chest.