A team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have published the results of the first phase of the WISDOM study, an initiative focused on developing individualized approaches to breast cancer screening, instead of traditional annual mammograms which are based primarily on age.
For its first phase, the WISDOM study recruited 46,000 U.S. women. The research team assessed each participants’ breast cancer risk based on their age, genetics, lifestyle, health history, and breast density. The participants were then grouped into four categories: low risk, average risk, elavated risk, and high risk.
Those identified as low-risk, 26 percent of participants, were told not to screen until age 50 or when an algorithm determined their risk would meet the level of the average 50-year-old woman. Women with average risk were the largest share of the study’s sample, representing 62 percent of all participants. These women were told to screen every two years. Women with elevated risk, 8 percent of participants, were recommend to receive annual screening. The remaining 2 percent of participants were identified as high risk and instructed to receive two screenings per year, alternating between mammography and MRI, regardless of their age. Women with elevated or high risk also received personalized recommendations for reducing their breast cancer risk.
Notably, 30 percent of women participants who tested positive for a genetic variant that increased their breast cancer risk had no prior family history of breast cancer. Under current clinical guidelines, these women would not normally be offered genetic testing, suggesting a large subset of women in the U.S. are missing out on a crucial screening method.
To date, WISDOM has enrolled over 80,000 participants, including women as young as 30 years old. The study’s second phase is currently enrolling participants and aims to identify women at a higher risk for developing more aggressive breast cancers.