Breast and ovarian cancer: all woman over 30 should get gene testing

They compared costs and health benefits of different strategies for genetic testing and found "population-based testing" would prevent more cases than the current approach of

screening women with a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Dr Ranjit Manchanda, consultant gynaecological oncologist at Barts Cancer Institute, said: "Our findings

support the concept of broadening genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer genes across the entire population, beyond just the current criteria-based approach. "This could prevent

thousands more breast and ovarian cancers than any current strategy, saving many lives. "With the costs of testing falling, this approach can ensure that more women can take

preventative action to reduce their risk or undertake regular screening." Carriers of either gene have a 17 per cent to 44 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer and a 69 per cent

-72 per cent chance of developing breast cancer over their lifetime. For women who do not have the genes, the risk drops to just 2 per cent for ovarian cancer and 12 per cent for breast

cancer. Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of cancer research charity The Eve Appeal, hailed the study as promising and said it offers an "an exciting step forward in prevention".

The research, supported by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.