One in ten women would benefit from earlier breast cancer screening, a genetic study shows

Breast cancer screening : New research from the University of Helsinki suggests that genetic risk information can be used to better personalize and target breast cancer screenings. The study found that genetic information helped identify a high-risk group for breast cancer who could benefit from starting screenings earlier, up to ten years before the current practice. The study, based on over 110,000 Finnish women, was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a leading journal in clinical cancer research. Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. In Finland, all women are invited for breast cancer screenings every two years starting at the age of 50. The goal of screenings is to detect early-stage or low-symptomatic cancers for timely and effective treatment. However, some women are diagnosed with breast cancer before the screening age, and screenings can also have negative effects, such as anxiety from false positive results. To reduce harm and improve screening effectiveness, researchers propose tailoring screenings based on individual risk. They developed a polygenic risk score that combines genetic risk factors for breast cancer and compared it with data from the Finnish Cancer Registry on breast cancer screenings. The study found that one in ten women had a significantly higher risk of breast cancer, and starting their screenings earlier would be beneficial. The study also showed that women in the high-risk group were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer between screenings, suggesting the need for more frequent screenings. Additionally, abnormal screening findings were more likely to be cancer in women with a high polygenic risk score. The researchers believe that incorporating comprehensive genetic information into healthcare could improve the cost-effectiveness of screenings and better balance the benefits and harms. By identifying the appropriate start and stop ages and screening intervals, tailored screenings could be more effective in reducing breast cancer mortality.