In UK every year there are 1193 deaths of women aged between 25 and 49 yrs from breast cancer. That equates to 12,000 in ten years. There are 9,792 new malignant breast cancers diagnosed in UK in women of the same age every year, which is approx 100,000 cases in ten years. These are very high figures for cancer incidence and mortality in such a young age group. 1
The Cancer Research website does not say how these 9,792 cases a year are detected. Whether it was self presentation, or through GPs or through screening. Hopefully these cancers were detected early but this is not specified in the data except to give the ICD 10 code of C50. (malignant breast cancer).
It would be useful to do a retrospective study to see what kind of risk factors these women had. These risk factors are well established and would constitute a check list profile for those more at risk. In the population those scoring significantly on this list should be offered screening. Those that don't shouldn't. Focussed screening would reduce the harms of screening, and increase the chances of finding malignant cancers.
Rapid Response:
In UK every year there are 1193 deaths of women aged between 25 and 49 yrs from breast cancer. That equates to 12,000 in ten years. There are 9,792 new malignant breast cancers diagnosed in UK in women of the same age every year, which is approx 100,000 cases in ten years. These are very high figures for cancer incidence and mortality in such a young age group. 1
The Cancer Research website does not say how these 9,792 cases a year are detected. Whether it was self presentation, or through GPs or through screening. Hopefully these cancers were detected early but this is not specified in the data except to give the ICD 10 code of C50. (malignant breast cancer).
It would be useful to do a retrospective study to see what kind of risk factors these women had. These risk factors are well established and would constitute a check list profile for those more at risk. In the population those scoring significantly on this list should be offered screening. Those that don't shouldn't. Focussed screening would reduce the harms of screening, and increase the chances of finding malignant cancers.
Competing interests: No competing interests