Prof Gareth Evans, from the University of Manchester (UK), talks to ecancertv at the 9th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC9) about the benefits of a more personalised approach to target screening and preventive measures with regards to breast cancer.

Prof Evans and his colleagues from Manchester and Queen Mary University of London (UK) collected extra information from women attending routine breast screening in Manchester and who had agreed to participate in the Predicting Risk Of breast Cancer At Screening (PROCAS) study. 

The results suggest that three-yearly screening is very effective for around 70% of the female population, but that those women who have a higher than average risk of developing breast cancer probably require more frequent screening, particularly as more advanced cancers were detected in these women.

Evans argues that by incorporating the process of personal risk assessment into routine screening practice we can predict and prevent more breast cancers in the future.