
“I was keen to go on a clinical trial. I wanted to try new cancer treatments and hopefully help future generations.”
This study looked at improving the way specialists work out the risk of breast cancer in women who have a family history of the disease.
It was part of a larger study called FHRisk. The researchers wanted more women to join the study as this helped them to improve the way they worked out the risk.
Having a number of relatives who’ve had breast cancer (or some other cancers) can increase your risk of getting breast cancer.
A specialist can assess your individual risk, if you have a strong family history of breast cancer. They base this on details of your family history and other factors such as whether or not you have children. And if so, the age you were when you had your first child.
But researchers knew they could improve this assessment of risk by including other information. In this study, they took a small blood sample to carry out tests on your genes. What they were looking at were single changes in the . These are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (
).
The aim of the study was to work out the best way to predict a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Professor Gareth Evans
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
The Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal
Nightingale Centre and Genesis Prevention Centre
University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust
Freephone 0808 800 4040
“I was keen to go on a clinical trial. I wanted to try new cancer treatments and hopefully help future generations.”