A method of predicting a woman’s risk of breast cancer which is said to be the most comprehensive yet has been unveiled by scientists.
By analysing hundreds of genetic markers and lifestyle factors together, the potentially “game-changing” innovation aims to help doctors identify patients at the highest and lowest risk of developing the disease.
Those who are considered more likely to develop breast cancer can then be given preventative treatments or offered more screening.
Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK, with nearly 55,000 women diagnosed every year.
Cancer Research UK says a large proportion of those cases occur in people who are at an increased risk.
Led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, the risk factor study has produced an online calculator for GPs to use in their surgeries that is currently undergoing testing.
Professor Antonis Antoniou, lead author at the university’s Department of Public Health and Primary Care, said: “This is the first time anyone has combined so many elements into one breast cancer prediction tool. It could be a game-changer for breast cancer because now we can identify large numbers of women with different levels of risk – not just women who are at high risk.”
The system combines information on family history and genetics with other factors such as weight, age at menopause, alcohol consumption and use of hormone replacement therapy.
More than 300 genetic indicators for breast cancer are taken into account, making risk calculation much more precise than before.
Mr Antoniou said: “This should help doctors to tailor the care they provide depending on their patients’ level of risk. For example, some women may need additional appointments to discuss screening or prevention options and others may just need advice on lifestyle and diet. We hope this means more people can be diagnosed early and survive for longer, but more research and trials are needed before we will fully understand how this could be used.”
Dr Richard Roope, Cancer Research UK’s GP expert, said the study was “hugely exciting” because it may eventually enable doctors to offer much more tailored care, benefiting patients and health providers.
But he added: “Although having an increased risk of breast cancer means a woman is more likely to develop the disease – it’s by no means a certainty. A woman at high risk may never get breast cancer just as a woman at low risk still could. But any woman with concerns should speak to her GP to discuss the options.”
Eluned Hughes, from Breast Cancer Now, said the study was a “promising step”, but more work was needed to develop and test the method before it is rolled out.
She added: “We now need to understand how this method compares to existing risk prediction tools, as well as how it could be used in practice.”
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