Family History Risk Analysis

A woman's chance of developing breast cancer is increased by certain genetic factors. For example women who carry a mutation in a specific gene, such as the BRCA1 gene, can have up to a 70% chance of developing breast cancer during their lifetime. Early identification of individuals at risk and appropriate management may prevent the development of the disease.

The Nottingham Breast Unit has been running a Family History Clinic for the last 15 years to identify patients at risk. Harlow Wood Consulting were commissioned to develop software to capture the data collected in this clinic. The Family History package allows pedigrees to be recorded using standard family tree notation and allows relevant factors to be recorded against that pedigree.

Working with Professor John Robertson from the Nottingham Breast Unit, Mark Sibbering from Derby City Hospital, Professor Jack Cuzick from the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, and Professor Gareth Evans from St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, Harlow Wood Consulting have extended the framework to include the NICE Primary and Secondary Care Guidelines for Breast Cancer, the IBIS risk analysis algorithm, and the Manchester Model.

As a result of this project a Nottingham University spin off company FAHRAS Ltd was formed in 2007 to further develop and distribute the software to Secondary Care Trusts throughout the UK. The FAHRAS software will also be extended to provide further risk analysis modules for other familial diseases such as colorectal and ovarian cancer.