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
- Antonis Antoniou
They have a developed a way of calculating the risk of developing the disease by combining information on family history and genetics with other factors such as weight, age at menopause, alcohol consumption and use of hormone replacement therapy.
Although individually some of these things have a small impact on the likelihood of developing the disease, researchers found that by considering all of them at once, plus family history and genetics, they can identify groups of women who have different risks of developing breast cancer.
Importantly, for the first time, researchers have taken into account more than 300 genetic indicators for breast cancer. This makes calculating the risk much more precise than ever before.
From this, the researchers have created an online calculator for GPs to use in their surgeries.
Image: Breast cancer cell
Credit: Anne Weston, Francis Crick Institute
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge