OPERA

How OPERA works

OPERA asks people specific questions about their family history of breast and ovarian cancer. It summarises their answers and gives them a personal assessment, which includes personalised information and support about their cancer risk.

The program is easy to use. It explains why we're asking each question and includes a glossary of medical terminology and a list of useful resources.

Designed for both female and male users, OPERA| is based on the NICE guidance for the classification and care of women at risk of familial breast cancer. This guidance also takes into account a family history of cancer of the ovary, as the main genes known to be linked to inherited breast cancer risk (BRCA 1 and BRCA 2) are also linked to ovarian cancer risk.

Please note that the NICE Guidance on which this program is based does not take into account other cancers, such as prostate cancer, which sometimes might be relevant to hereditary breast/ovarian cancer.

Providing reliable information online

Fewer than 1 in 20 cases of breast cancer are inherited. However, many people worry - unnecessarily - about their risk of inheriting cancer. With most people now using the internet as their initial source of information, we have developed OPERA to ensure that reliable and accurate information about hereditary risk is available online. 

We have designed the program to help alleviate anxiety in people who worry about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It aims to provide information and support, and to signpost people who may have an increased risk.

We believe the personal assessment OPERA provides will help a person discuss their risk with their GP. In turn, we envisage that this tool will help reduce GP’s time when dealing with such queries, and help with onward referrals. We also hope people will become more aware of the importance of the link between breast and ovarian cancer.