Genetic testing ‘could make cancer screening cheaper and more efficient’

New research has found that genetic testing of women could help to make the breast cancer screening process more efficient and cost-effective.

Studies funded by Cancer Research UK have created a new screening concept that would test women to establish genetic factors to suggest their risk of contracting the disease.

This would determine an appropriate age for screening patients, with more at-risk patients being checked at 35, while others would not be tested for the disease until they are in their 50s or 60s.

According to the study, which appeared in the British Journal of Cancer, this would reduce the risk of anxiety and false positives and save the NHS money on screening costs, while still delivering the same disease detection rate.

Dr Nora Pashayan of the PHG Foundation and Cancer Research UK training fellow said: "As more genetic information becomes available, the efficiency of a screening approach that takes account of genetic risk will further improve."

Earlier this week, the World Cancer Research Fund released figures showing that around 20,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented in the UK each year through healthier living.