Up to 95% of younger women who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer are being missed by current NHS checks, researchers warn.

A nurse provides assistance to a patient undergoing a mammogram in a modern medical facility NHS criteria for screening women under 50 for breast cancer are too narrow and missing up to 95% of those at higher risk of developing the disease, researchers have warned. The current guidelines - set by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) - focus solely on inherited genes and not other factors such as lifestyle, they found. Older women are offered routine mammogram scans to check their breasts, but under 50s do not get any breast screening unless they have a strong family history of the disease. Using a new risk assessment tool, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer identified eight times as many women in this age group who developed breast cancer. About one in seven women develop breast cancer in their lifetime, yet only 5-10% of cases are linked to inherited genes. In England, guidance from Nice recommends GPs ask about family history if a woman is worried that she might have a higher risk of breast cancer, and sometimes if they are over 35 and using an oral contraceptive pill or considering taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Hormones have been linked to a slightly increased risk of breast cancer, although larger risk factors include alcohol intake and obesity.