McLeod Health
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Giving
  • For Employees
  • Medical Library
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Find a Doctor
  • PATIENT ONLINE SERVICES
  • Locations
    • McLeod Regional Medical Center Florence
    • McLeod Behavioral Health
    • McLeod Health Cheraw
    • McLeod Health Clarendon
    • McLeod Health Dillon
    • McLeod Health Loris
    • McLeod Health Seacoast
    • McLeod Health Carolina Forest
  • Services
    • Care
      • Behavioral Health
      • Breast Health Center
      • Cancer Center
      • Cardiology
      • Children’s Hospital
      • Diabetes Center
      • Digestive Health
      • Emergency/Trauma
      • Heart
      • Home Health
      • Hospice
      • Neurosciences
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic & Spine Care
      • Outpatient Infusion Therapy
      • Palliative Care
      • Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery
      • Primary Care
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Rehabilitation
      • Respiratory Therapy
      • Sports Medicine
      • Stroke
      • Surgery
      • TeleHealth
      • Urgent Care
      • Urology
      • Vascular
      • Vein Center
      • Women’s Services
      • Wound Care - Outpatient
    • Wellness
      • Health & Fitness
      • Pharmacy
    • Occupational Health
      • Onsite & Nearsite Services
      • Employee Assistance Program
      • Healthier You Wellness Program
    • Community Involvement
      • McLeod Foundation
      • Pastoral Services
      • McLeod Safe Kids
      • Volunteers
      • Guest House
    • For Providers
      • McLeod EpicLink
    • Physician Employment
    • Careers
    • Residency
  • BLOG HOME
  • HEART
    HEALTH
  • CANCER
  • WOMEN &
    CHILDREN
  • ORTHOPEDICS
  • GENERAL
    HEALTH
  • BLOG HOME
  • HEART
    HEALTH
  • CANCER
  • WOMEN &
    CHILDREN
  • ORTHOPEDICS
  • GENERAL
    HEALTH
McLeod Health
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Giving
  • For Employees
  • Medical Library
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Find a Doctor
  • PATIENT ONLINE SERVICES
  • Locations
    • McLeod Regional Medical Center Florence
    • McLeod Behavioral Health
    • McLeod Health Cheraw
    • McLeod Health Clarendon
    • McLeod Health Dillon
    • McLeod Health Loris
    • McLeod Health Seacoast
    • McLeod Health Carolina Forest
  • Services
    • Care
      • Behavioral Health
      • Breast Health Center
      • Cancer Center
      • Cardiology
      • Children’s Hospital
      • Diabetes Center
      • Digestive Health
      • Emergency/Trauma
      • Heart
      • Home Health
      • Hospice
      • Neurosciences
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic & Spine Care
      • Outpatient Infusion Therapy
      • Palliative Care
      • Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery
      • Primary Care
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Rehabilitation
      • Respiratory Therapy
      • Sports Medicine
      • Stroke
      • Surgery
      • TeleHealth
      • Urgent Care
      • Urology
      • Vascular
      • Vein Center
      • Women’s Services
      • Wound Care - Outpatient
    • Wellness
      • Health & Fitness
      • Pharmacy
    • Occupational Health
      • Onsite & Nearsite Services
      • Employee Assistance Program
      • Healthier You Wellness Program
    • Community Involvement
      • McLeod Foundation
      • Pastoral Services
      • McLeod Safe Kids
      • Volunteers
      • Guest House
    • For Providers
      • McLeod EpicLink
    • Physician Employment
    • Careers
    • Residency
< BACK TO LIST Print This Page

TC Scores: An Important Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool

Medically Reviewed by W. Shawn Conwell, MD, FACR

A breast cancer risk assessment can help predict a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. The assessment asks about risk factors like age, family history of breast cancer, and genetic mutations. The provider can then use the score to determine how often the woman should have breast cancer screenings. McLeod Breast Imaging Director Dr. Shawn Conwell tells us more:

“Patients are asked to complete a breast health assessment prior to their mammogram, because most women who develop breast cancer have no other risk factors. So what we would like to be able to do is to identify women who may be at some additional risk, be that due to the family history according to her hormonal history or other risk factors that she might have. That way, we can more effectively screen women for breast cancer diagnosis. The responses to the questions we ask are used in caring for patients in that we can begin to identify who may need additional testing, be it genetics testing, or even additional testing by imaging. For those women who may be at very high risk for breast cancer, they certainly need additional screening by MRI. MRI and ultrasound are additional screenings we can use that may see things that could be missed on a mammogram, particularly in women with dense breasts.

The TC score or Tyrer-Cuzick score is a score produced by a risk assessment tool that gives us a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. One in eight women in their lifetime may develop breast cancer, which is a true statistic, and that works out to be about 12%. For women who calculate a risk score of over 20%, those women are well above the average lifetime risk of developing cancer and are really considered to be at high risk. What we’d like to do is to identify those women who are at high risk so we can provide the right screening options for her. And what we want to do is make sure she gets a complete risk assessment. In addition, she may also benefit from genetics counseling and maybe even genetic testing and screening by additional modalities such as breast MRI.”

To learn more about your risk for breast cancer, speak with your OB/GYN or primary care provider.

SUBSCRIBE TO ENTIRE BLOG
Share
  • McLEOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER FLORENCE

    843-777-2000
  • McLEOD DARLINGTON

    843-777-1100
  • McLEOD DILLON

    843-774-4111
  • McLEOD LORIS

    843-716-7000
  • McLEOD SEACOAST

    843-390-8100
  • McLEOD CHERAW

    843-537-7881
  • McLEOD CLARENDON

    803-433-3000

results appear while typing

Loading

McLeod Health

Menu
  • HOME
  • FIND A DOCTOR
  • LOCATIONS
  • SERVICES
  • PATIENT PORTAL
  • Physician Employment
  • Careers
  • Residency
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Giving
  • Calendar
  • Medical Library
  • Patient Stories
  • McLeod News
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • For Employees
  • Call
  • Locations
  • PATIENT ONLINE SERVICES
  • Services
  • Search
  • Find a Doctor
  • Main Menu
  • McLEOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER FLORENCE

    843-777-2000
  • McLEOD DARLINGTON

    843-777-1100
  • McLEOD DILLON

    843-774-4111
  • McLEOD LORIS

    843-716-7000
  • McLEOD SEACOAST

    843-390-8100
  • McLEOD CHERAW

    843-537-7881
  • McLEOD CLARENDON

    803-433-3000
  • McLeod Regional
    Medical Center Florence
  • McLeod Behavioral Health
  • McLeod Health Cheraw
  • McLeod Health Clarendon
  • McLeod Health Dillon
  • McLeod Health Loris
  • McLeod Health Seacoast
  • McLeod Health Carolina Forest
  • Care
    • Behavioral Health
    • Breast Health Center
    • Cancer Center
    • Cardiology
    • Children’s Hospital
    • Diabetes Center
    • Digestive Health
    • Emergency/Trauma
    • Heart
    • Home Health
    • Hospice
    • Neurosciences
    • Ophthalmology
    • Orthopedic & Spine Care
    • Outpatient Infusion Therapy
    • Palliative Care
    • Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery
    • Primary Care
    • Pulmonology
    • Radiology
    • Rehabilitation
    • Respiratory Therapy
    • Sports Medicine
    • Stroke
    • Surgery
    • TeleHealth
    • Urgent Care
    • Urology
    • Vascular
    • Vein Center
    • Women’s Services
    • Wound Care - Outpatient
  • Wellness
    • Health & Fitness
    • Pharmacy
  • Occupational Health
    • Onsite & Nearsite Services
    • Employee Assistance Program
    • Healthier You Wellness Program
  • Community Involvement
    • McLeod Foundation
    • Pastoral Services
    • McLeod Safe Kids
    • Volunteers
    • Guest House
  • For Providers
    • McLeod EpicLink

The information on this site is intended to increase your awareness and understanding of specific health issues and services at McLeod Health. It should not be used for diagnosis or as a substitute for health care by your physician. To report technical issues, please contact us.

©2025 McLeod Health. Code of Conduct | HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices | Patient Bill of Rights | Nondiscrimination & Accessibility Notice | Medicare ACO Public Reporting | Price Transparency | Provider-Based Billing | Report a Compliment/Concern | Visitation | Download McLeod Health Mission & Values | Community Health Needs Assessments | Financial Assistance Policy