About Your Disease Risk ®
Your Disease Risk is an educational website of the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. The Siteman Cancer Center is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and is an international leader in cancer treatment, research, prevention, education, and community outreach.
Sound science is a top priority of Your Disease Risk. Risk estimates are calculated based on factors determined to be related to the risk of a disease. This list of factors is developed through a consensus review process of scientific evidence. The diverse group of researchers, clinicians, programmers and health communication experts that have contributed to the methodology and content of Your Disease Risk include:
- Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH
- Mike Atkinson
- Katharine Atwood, MS, ScD
- David Christiani, MD, MS, MPH
- Daniel Cramer, MD, ScD
- Hank Dart, MS
- Heather Eliassen, ScD
- Karen Emmons, PhD
- Diane Feskanich, ScD
- Edward Giovannucci, MD, ScD
- Susan Hankinson, ScD
- Frank Hu, MD, PhD
- David Hunter, MD, ScD
- Dana Jessup, SM
- I-Min Lee, MD, ScD
- JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH
- Richard Monson, MD, SD
- Nancy Mueller, ScD
- Yikyung Park, ScD
- Eric Rimm, ScD
- Elizabeth Salerno, PhD, MPH
- Michelle Samplin-Salgado
- Michelle Silver, PhD,ScM
- Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH
- Cynthia Stein, MD, MPH
- Siobhan Sutcliffe, PhD, ScM, MHS
- Rulla Tamimi, ScD, MS
- Adetunji Toriola, MD, PhD, MPH
- Anna Tosteson, ScD
- Dimitrios Trichopoulos, MD, PhD*
- Erika Waters, PhD, MPH
- Walter Willett, MD, DrPH
*deceased
Scientific Review
To ensure that the content of Your Disease Risk stays relevant and up-to-date, the site is reviewed regularly. Outside of major review cycles, smaller updates to the site are made as needed. For example, updates to breast, colon, and lung cancer screening recommendations.
Major updates:
2007
The cancer and osteoporosis sections of Your Disease Risk were reviewed in spring 2007. In addition to risk factor updates in osteoporosis, updates were made in: melanoma and bladder, breast, colon, kidney, pancreatic, prostate, stomach, and uterine cancers.
2008
Based on a detailed review of the 2007 diet and activity report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) (report), a number of risk factors were added to the cancer tools, including: birth weight (breast cancer), height (ovarian cancer), calcium (prostate cancer), salt/sodium (stomach cancer).
2011 - 12
During 2011 and 2012, a number of minor changes were made to the disease algorithms to improve their accuracy.
2013
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was added to the site, listed as two conditions - Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema. After a complete scientific review of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, updates were made to specific relative risk estimates, and heavy drinking was added as a new risk factor to the stroke tool.2017
In addition to a complete scientific review and update of the twelve cancer tools, the site was converted to a responsive design so that it would work well on both mobile and desktop. We also integrated a brief "snapshot" tool based on our Zuum app to provide users a quick and helpful guide to which individual diseases they may want to focus on as they navigate the site.
2024
The site's code was modernized, and the science panel completed a review of all tools, in preparation for a full site update.
Background Information
Your Disease Risk Tools - Overall
Harvard Report on Cancer Prevention, Volume IV: Harvard Cancer Risk Index (Cancer Causes and Control, Volume 11: 477-488, 2000)
Relative risk estimates (PDF)
Milestones in the History of Your Disease Risk
1997 - Harvard Cancer Risk Index. First version of tool printed.
2000 - Your Cancer Risk (4 Cancers). First online version launched, included cancers of the breast, colon, lung and prostate. (January)
2000 - Your Cancer Risk (12 Cancers). Site expanded to include 12 different cancers. (June)
2004 - Your Disease Risk. Site renamed and expanded to include heart disease, stroke, diabetes and osteoporosis.
2005 - Cuidar de su Salud. Spanish-language version launched (currently offline).
2007 - Your Disease Risk (Siteman). Site moved to the Siteman Cancer Center.
2017 - Update to a responsive design for mobile and desktop and addition of Risk Snapshot tool.
2024 - Modernization of site code, completion of science panel review, and beginning of full science update.
Web Design and Programming
Current design and programming: Integrity.
Past design and development: Interactive Factory, Myriad Web, and Tracy Watson.
Contributors
A diverse group of researchers, clinicians, programmers and health communication experts contributed to the methodology and content of Your Disease Risk.