Breast cancer checks missing most women under 50 who are at risk, says study
Summary
A new study found that current NHS rules for breast cancer screening miss most women under 50 who are at risk. The rules focus only on inherited genes, ignoring other factors like lifestyle, meaning many younger women who develop breast cancer are not identified early.Key Facts
- NHS breast screening mainly targets women over 50; under 50s are screened only if they have a strong family history of breast cancer.
- The current guidelines focus mostly on inherited genes and do not consider lifestyle or other risk factors.
- The study used a risk tool called Boadicea that looks at family history, lifestyle, reproductive history, and genetics to better predict risk.
- Using Boadicea could identify about 26.5% of women under 50 as higher risk, covering roughly one-third of breast cancer cases in that age group.
- Current NHS rules would refer only 1.4% of women under 50 for further checks, capturing just 4.4% of cases.
- About 73% of women under 50 who develop breast cancer have no family history, which is why current screening misses many cases.
- Researchers suggest NHS review its guidelines, but acknowledge more screening could increase workload and cause anxiety.
- The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it recognizes the potential for new tools but won’t change guidelines yet.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
