Blood Test May Help Define Breast Cancer Risk in Older Women

THURSDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The effort to develop a blood test to reveal a woman's risk for breast cancer may be one step closer to fruition, but is still far from becoming a reality, according to a new study.

The researchers found that blood hormone tests may predict the risk for developing postmenopausal breast cancer up to 20 years after a blood sample was taken.

But the study has limitations and needs to be replicated and expanded, said Dr. Xuehong Zhang, lead author and an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

If the research is confirmed by other studies, women could have their blood levels of so-called "sex hormones" such as estradiol, testosterone and the androgen DHEAS (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) assessed every 10 to 20 years to get a biological assessment of their breast cancer risk, Zhang explained.

"We're thinking that the addition of hormone levels to our current risk prediction models might improve our ability to find high-risk women who would benefit from additional screening or prevention," he said.

Read more at the link: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/10/18/blood-test-may-help-define-breast-cancer-risk-in-older-women?vwo=5bd53