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New test for breast cancer risk
Hope for millions of women: A simple blood test can determine the risk of a disease early and allow uncomplicated therapy.
Anxiety issue Breast cancer: Every eighth woman in Germany falls ill with it, this year alone around 70 000 per year. All the more important is the early detection - and as a new blood test makes hope: He should take women who are not yet ill, the fear of breast cancer.
The Hennigsdorf company Sphingotec GmbH has developed a method that measures the concentration of so-called proneurotensin in the blood plasma of women. "This protein shows an increased susceptibility to cancer, years before tumors develop, " explains Olle Melander, a professor at the University of Malmö, who worked with Sphingotec on this test. In women with high proneurotensin levels, the risk of developing breast cancer is more than twice that of a low concentration of this protein.
But who is the test for? In general, any woman who wants to know her disease risk can have him performed (about 70 euros, no health insurance). Especially recommended is the test for hereditary preloaded. They often take drugs such as tamoxifen and Arimidex, which reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 50 percent. Since the tablets often have serious side effects, women with low protein levels and thus low risk could do without it in the future.
Even the age group of 50 to 70 is advised to test: For those affected the risk of breast cancer is much higher due to age. If the check shows a low risk, these women have less time to investigate. If an increased risk is identified, the onset of breast cancer could be counteracted early. In the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich, the new prediction test is already working on nutrition and sports programs that can lower the level of proneurotensin and thus reduce the risk of cancer.
