Study says many younger high-risk women are not being reached by breast cancer screening

Researchers have warned that breast cancer screening may be failing many younger women who face a higher-than-average risk of the disease. The concern is that current checks are not identifying large numbers of people who could benefit from earlier monitoring.

According to the BBC report, the researchers said as many as 95% of younger women at increased risk are being missed. The finding points to a gap between who is eligible for checks and who may actually need them.

The issue matters because breast cancer outcomes can improve when the disease is found earlier, and younger patients are not always covered by routine screening programmes. The report did not set out a policy change, but it highlighted pressure on health services to review how risk is assessed.

The discussion comes amid wider debate over whether screening systems should rely more heavily on individual risk rather than age alone.