Cambridge researchers find breast cancer guidelines miss most at-risk women

Researchers at Cambridge University and the Institute of Cancer Research have found that NHS guidelines miss most younger women who are at risk of breast cancer.

The study looked at data from over 1,200 women under 50. It found that current guidelines fail to identify up to 95% of younger women who will develop breast cancer within ten years.

NHS rules focus mainly on family history, but 73% of women under 50 who get breast cancer have no family history of the disease. Younger women only receive screening if they have a strong family history.