Breast cancer checks missing most women under 50 who are at risk, says study
A new study suggests that current NHS breast cancer screening criteria for women under 50 are too narrow, potentially missing up to 95% of high-risk cases. Researchers advocate for a more comprehensive risk assessment tool that includes lifestyle and genetic factors beyond family history.
Why it matters
Improving early detection methods for younger women could significantly impact survival rates and public health policy regarding cancer screening.
Image source, Getty Image caption, A nurse provides assistance to a patient undergoing a mammogram in a modern medical facility
NHS criteria for screening women under 50 for breast cancer are too narrow and missing up to 95% of those at higher risk of developing the disease, researchers have warned.
The current guidelines - set by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) - focus solely on inherited genes and not other factors such as lifestyle, they found.
Older women are offered routine mammogram scans to check their breasts, but under 50s do not get any breast screening unless they have a strong family history of the disease.
Using a new risk assessment tool, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer identified eight times as many women in this age group who developed breast cancer.
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