Though women with mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 genes are frequently offered a risk-reducing mastectomy, there are many other women at high risk who may not be presented with the same option. A new study finds that if they were, though, it could prevent thousands of breast cancer cases each year.

A study recently published in the journal JAMA Oncology investigated at which point getting a risk-reducing mastectomy is more cost-effective than other current options like enhanced screening and hormone therapy. According to the National Cancer Institute, this surgery can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 90% in women with a strong family history of the disease.

The findings of this study show that the surgery, and the benefits it provides, are more cost-effective than other options in women between the ages of 30 and 55 once their risk level reaches 35%. Further, if it were offered to all women with this risk-level in the United Kingdom, where the study was conducted, it could prevent an estimated 6.538 breast cancer cases each year, or about 11% of the number of new diagnoses within the UK annually.

Ranjit Manchanda, study co-author and Professor of Gynecological Oncology at Queen Mary University of London, says, “Our results could have significant clinical implications to expand access to mastectomy beyond those patients with known genetic susceptibility in high penetrance genes- BRCA1/ BRCA2/ PALB2 - who are traditionally offered this.”

To conduct the study, the team used National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to determine a treatment’s cost-effectiveness. They also looked at data from women between the ages of 30 and 60 with risks between 17% and 50%. The women were either getting a mastectomy or undergoing enhanced screening with preventive medications. The team included current predictive models.

The researchers say further study is needed into whether other high-risk women want to take advantage of risk-reducing mastectomies, as well as the outcomes if they do.

If you’d like to support other life-changing breast cancer research, click here!