Professor David French and his PhD student want to investigate whether making changes to breast cancer screening could improve early detection while minimising anxiety in women being screened. By looking at both the benefits and possible pitfalls of this new approach, this study hopes to make sure that future screening programmes are both effective and supportive.
In this section
What's the challenge?
Current breast cancer screening in the UK is offered to women aged 50 and over every 3 years. Women with a strong family history of breast cancer who are at higher risk of developing the disease are offered more frequent screening. But not everyone at high-risk has been identified.
Another potential approach known as risk-stratified screening offers a more personalised alternative. This method measures a woman’s risk of breast cancer at their first screening appointment, to identify who should receive more frequent screening.
But, before making changes to current screening programmes, we need to know how women feel about being told their risk of breast cancer – so we can avoid unnecessarily increasing their worry.
Risk-stratified screening has the potential to find aggressive breast cancers earlier and offer personalised care to women who need it most. But we need to understand how it impacts women’s mental wellbeing. This research will guide us on how we can use these approaches effectively and compassionately.
Professor David French
Lead researcher
What’s the science behind this project?
The MyPeBS study is an ongoing trial comparing risk-stratified screening with the standard NHS approach. It includes over 50,000 women aged 40 to 70 from 6 countries: the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Israel. Women were randomly assigned to either standard screening or risk-stratified screening based on their genetic, lifestyle, and breast density risk factors. Questionnaires about mental wellbeing were completed at 4 key points: at the start of the study, 3 months, 1 year and 4 years later.
In this project, the team will analyse the large amount of data collected via the questionnaires in the MyPeBS study. These questionnaires will tell us about women’s cancer-related worry and general anxiety. It’ll also be used to investigate women’s intentions to adopt healthier behaviours, such as eating well, exercising more, or attending future breast screenings. By comparing responses between the 2 groups, this research hopes to understand how women’s mental wellbeing and lifestyles are affected by risk-stratified screening. The study will also explore how these impacts vary across different healthcare systems and cultures.
What difference will this project make?
This research will provide crucial evidence on whether risk-stratified screening can improve early detection without negatively impacting women’s mental wellbeing. It’ll guide how screening programmes can better support women emotionally and practically while offering personalised care. The findings will also help healthcare systems design their approach to delivering risk-based screening in the future.
How many people could this project help?
Around 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK. This project has the potential to help thousands of women by identifying high-risk individuals earlier and offering compassionate, effective treatment.
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