Cody Regional Health launched Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Scoring to support its Breast Cancer Detection Program beginning April 3.

TC scoring is rare to find within Wyoming healthcare systems, and Cody Regional Health will be one of few hospitals to offer this to their patients. 

“We are excited to be able to start offering this to our mammogram patients, as this will help our local area primary care providers and their patients better prepare and prevent for breast cancers,” said Eric Lipe, CRH Radiology Department director. 

“Even though we have offered 3D mammography at CRH for years, this is another step we are taking to better educate our patients about their risk of breast cancer. The goal in breast cancer screening is to find cancers at their earliest stage,” said Travis Graham, MD, CRH radiologist.  “We also hope to augment our breast cancer screening program in the future with automated breast density assessment as well as artificial intelligence and deep machine learning methods to assist us in pinpointing areas of the breast that may be of concern. These advanced technologies will help save lives.”

It’s important for women to know if they have dense breasts or not. Women who have dense breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer and should understand how their TC score will help them and their primary care provider better prepare for possible cancer risks moving forward. 

Each individual undergoing screening mammography will complete a questionnaire (age, height, weight, menstrual history, OB history, HRT use, personal BRCA1/BRCA2 testing, previous breast biopsy, personal cancer history (ovary, breast), Ashkenazi heritage, and extensive family history (breast cancer, ovary cancer, BRCA1/BRCA2 testing).  Information from the questionnaire and breast density (score A – D) from mammography are the then used to determine the TC score.

The TC scoring suggests an individual’s lifetime risk of breast cancer as follows:

Average Risk – Less than 15%

Intermediate Risk – 15-19%

High Risk – Greater than 20%

The score may help when making screening and risk reduction recommendations as well as potential referral to a high-risk breast cancer clinic.   

The new TC Scoring Assessment will be given to all CRH Mammogram patients at no additional cost moving forward.