FRABOC Guide: Family History, Cancer Risk, and iPrevent

Editorial Team 1 hour agoLast Updated: October 30, 2026

9 minutes read

FRABOC was an Australian tool used to understand breast and ovarian cancer risk based on family history. Its full name was Familial Risk Assessment – Breast and Ovarian Cancer.

People may see the name FRABOC in an old medical record, referral letter, health document, or online page. The original tool is no longer available through Cancer Australia.

This guide explains what FRABOC was, how it worked, and what its risk groups meant. It also explains newer options such as iPrevent.

What Is FRABOC?

FRABOC stood for Familial Risk Assessment – Breast and Ovarian Cancer. It was used in Australia to help health professionals understand breast and ovarian cancer patterns in families.

FRABOC mainly looked at family history. It considered which relatives had cancer, what type of cancer they had, and how old they were when they were diagnosed.

The tool was mainly made for health professionals, including GPs and nurses. It was not a home test for finding cancer.

FRABOC helped place people into broad risk groups. These groups showed whether their family history suggested average, moderately increased, or potentially high risk.

Why Was FRABOC Used?

Cancer in a family can be hard to understand. Having one relative with breast cancer does not always mean another family member has a high inherited risk.

Doctors need to look at the full family history. They may check how many relatives had cancer, how closely they are related, and how old they were when diagnosed.

Some family patterns may need more attention. Examples include breast cancer at a young age, male breast cancer, cancer in both breasts, or both breast and ovarian cancer in the same family.

FRABOC helped doctors and nurses review this information in a clear way. It could help them decide if normal care was enough or if more assessment was needed.

How Did FRABOC Work?

FRABOC used information about a person’s family cancer history.

A health professional could ask about relatives on both the mother’s and father’s sides. They would look at who had cancer, what type of cancer they had, and their age when they were diagnosed.

FRABOC then used the family pattern to place the person into a broad risk group.

The result was not a promise about what would happen in the future. It was only an estimate based on the family information available.

Sometimes people do not know all the details about their relatives. They may not know the exact cancer type or age at diagnosis. This is one reason FRABOC was mainly used with a health professional.

What Family History Did FRABOC Consider?

FRABOC looked at cancer across the family. It did not simply count how many relatives had cancer.

First-degree relatives include parents, brothers, sisters, and children. Second-degree relatives can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.

Age was also important. Cancer diagnosed at a young age may sometimes be more important when doctors are looking for signs of inherited cancer risk.

FRABOC could also consider patterns such as several relatives with breast or ovarian cancer, male breast cancer, cancer in both breasts, and breast and ovarian cancer in the same family.

Both sides of the family mattered. A cancer-related gene change can come from the mother or father. This means the father’s family history should not be ignored.

A known cancer-related gene change in the family could also be useful information.

FRABOC Risk Categories

FRABOC used three broad risk groups:

At or slightly above average risk
Moderately increased risk
Potentially high risk

The first group included people whose family history did not show strong signs of increased inherited risk. This did not mean they could never develop cancer.

The moderately increased group included people with a more important family pattern. For example, a close relative may have developed breast cancer at a younger age, or more than one relative may have been affected.

Potentially high risk was the highest group. This could include families with several cases of breast or ovarian cancer, very young cancer diagnoses, male breast cancer, or cancer affecting both breasts.

A known cancer-related gene change in the family could also be important.

A higher risk group did not mean a person would definitely get cancer. A lower risk group also did not mean cancer was impossible.

These FRABOC groups are now old. They should not be used to work out someone’s current cancer risk.

Was FRABOC a Cancer Test?

No. FRABOC was not a cancer test.

It was not a mammogram, scan, ultrasound, biopsy, or blood test. It could not tell if someone currently had breast or ovarian cancer.

FRABOC only looked at possible risk based mainly on family history.

Risk and diagnosis are different. Risk tells us about the chance of developing a disease. A diagnosis tells us whether the disease is actually present.

If you see FRABOC in an old medical record, it does not mean you had cancer. It may simply mean your family cancer history was being checked.

Was FRABOC a Genetic or BRCA Test?

No. FRABOC was not a genetic test and did not study a person’s DNA.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes linked with inherited breast and ovarian cancer risk when certain harmful changes are present.

A genetic test can look for these changes. FRABOC could not.

Instead, FRABOC looked at family patterns. Several cases of breast or ovarian cancer, cancer at a young age, or male breast cancer could suggest that more assessment was useful.

If doctors had concerns about the family history, they could discuss genetic counselling or genetic testing.

FRABOC itself could not tell someone if they had a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene change.

What Happened After a Higher FRABOC Risk Result?

A higher FRABOC result did not mean someone had cancer. It also did not automatically mean treatment was needed.

The result could help a health professional decide what to do next.

They might look more closely at the person’s family history. In some cases, the person could be referred to a family cancer service or another specialist.

Genetic counselling could also be discussed if the family history showed possible inherited cancer risk.

Genetic testing was a separate process. FRABOC did not perform genetic tests.

Screening and other care decisions depended on each person’s situation. FRABOC was only one part of the assessment.

Is FRABOC Still Available?

No. The original FRABOC tool is no longer available through Cancer Australia.

However, its name can still be found in old medical records, referral forms, PDFs, health documents, and older online pages.

This is why some people search for FRABOC today but cannot find the original tool.

Old FRABOC information may help explain past medical records. However, an old result should not be used to work out someone’s current cancer risk.

Cancer risk assessment has changed, and newer tools can consider more information.

What Replaced FRABOC?

Newer tools are now available for breast cancer risk assessment.

One important option in Australia is iPrevent. Other modern tools and models include CanRisk and IBIS, also called the Tyrer-Cuzick model.

These are not simply new names for FRABOC. They use newer methods and can look at more information.

FRABOC mainly used family history and broad risk groups. Newer tools can give a more personal risk estimate.

What Is iPrevent?

iPrevent is a tool for assessing breast cancer risk. It is linked with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia.

It can look at family cancer history together with other personal information. This may include medical, reproductive, lifestyle, and breast-health factors.

This gives iPrevent more information to work with than the old FRABOC system.

iPrevent can give a more personal breast cancer risk estimate. The information can also help with discussions about screening and ways to manage risk.

However, iPrevent cannot tell for certain if someone will develop breast cancer. It gives a risk estimate, not a diagnosis.

FRABOC vs iPrevent

FRABOC and iPrevent are both connected with cancer risk assessment, but they are different.

FRABOC mainly looked at breast and ovarian cancer patterns in a family. It placed people into broad risk groups.

iPrevent can use family history together with other personal information. This can give a more detailed risk estimate.

FRABOC is an old tool and is no longer available through Cancer Australia. iPrevent is a newer option for breast cancer risk assessment.

Neither tool is the same as a cancer test or genetic test.

CanRisk and IBIS

CanRisk and IBIS are two other names people may see when reading about breast cancer risk.

CanRisk is an online risk tool based on BOADICEA models. It can use detailed family history, genetic information, and other risk factors.

IBIS, also known as the Tyrer-Cuzick model, is another breast cancer risk model. It can look at family history together with other personal information.

These tools use different methods. The right tool can depend on the person’s situation and why the assessment is being done.

Like FRABOC and iPrevent, they estimate risk. They cannot say for certain whether someone will develop cancer.

Why Family Cancer History Still Matters

FRABOC is no longer available, but family cancer history is still important.

Before speaking with a health professional, it can help to collect useful information about your family, such as:

Which relative had cancer
How they are related to you
What type of cancer they had
Their age when diagnosed
Whether cancer affected both breasts
Whether one person had more than one cancer
Whether a male relative had breast cancer
Whether anyone had genetic testing
Whether a known inherited gene change was found

Remember to include both your mother’s and father’s sides of the family.

You may not know every detail. That is normal. If you are unsure about something, tell the health professional instead of guessing.

What If FRABOC Appears in an Old Medical Record?

Seeing FRABOC in an old medical record does not mean you were diagnosed with cancer.

It may simply mean that a doctor or nurse checked your family history to understand your possible breast or ovarian cancer risk.

The document may include an old risk group, notes about your family history, or a recommendation for further assessment.

An old FRABOC result may still be useful as part of your medical history. However, it may not show your current risk.

Your age changes over time. New cancer cases may also appear in your family. Some relatives may have genetic testing, and medical guidance can change.

A health professional can review your current information if you are concerned about your risk today.

Common Misunderstandings About FRABOC

FRABOC is sometimes misunderstood because it appears in old medical documents.

FRABOC was not a cancer diagnosis. A high-risk result did not mean someone already had cancer or would definitely develop it.

FRABOC was also not a BRCA test. It did not study DNA or find BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene changes.

One relative with breast cancer does not automatically mean someone has a high inherited risk. Doctors look at the full family pattern.

The father’s side also matters. Cancer-related gene changes can come from either parent.

Old FRABOC risk groups should not be used as a modern self-assessment tool.

Bottom Line

FRABOC stood for Familial Risk Assessment – Breast and Ovarian Cancer. It was an Australian tool that helped health professionals understand possible cancer risk from family history.

It looked at details such as which relatives had cancer, what type of cancer they had, and how old they were when diagnosed.

FRABOC was not a cancer test or genetic test. A higher risk result only showed that more assessment might be useful.

The original FRABOC tool is no longer available through Cancer Australia. Newer options such as iPrevent, CanRisk, and IBIS can provide more detailed risk estimates.

If you are worried about breast or ovarian cancer in your family, speak with a qualified health professional. Current information is more useful than relying only on an old FRABOC result.