Uptake of screening and prevention in women at very high risk of breast cancer

Management of women at high lifetime risk of familial breast cancer is hampered because of limited data concerning the appropriateness of treatment options. Over the past 8 years women at very high (>40%) lifetime risk of breast cancer have had the option of entering two chemoprevention treatment trials, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) breast screening study, or a risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) study. Only 10% of eligible women have entered one of the chemotherapy trials with a similar proportion opting for RRM (>50% in mutation carriers) compared with 60% opting for MRI screening. Future chemotherapy trials will have to be designed to address this poor recruitment.