Estonia to offer genetic breast cancer screening for all women aged 40

The Estonian Health Insurance Fund will invite all women aged 40 in Estonia to participate in a genetic screening program to determine their individual risk of breast cancer.

This marks the first time a country will offer screenings based on genetic data rather than just age. The program changes the current standard where women typically begin breast cancer screenings after their 50th birthday. Starting next week, the government will send invitations to approximately 10,000 women.

If a woman's genetic risk profile shows a high probability of cancer, she may begin mammography screenings at age 40 instead of waiting until 50. The analysis uses around 3,000 genetic variants to calculate risk. The Estonian Genome Center head, Steven Smit, noted that the test does not include BRCA gene mutations, which are handled through separate tests for those with a family history of the disease.

Women who have already donated DNA to the Estonian Genome Center can provide consent via a health portal, while others will receive a referral to a laboratory for a blood sample. While the Health Insurance Fund is currently focusing on breast cancer, it is looking into using genetic data for cardiovascular disease prevention. However, the Estonian Genome Center currently lacks the funding to accept new gene donors as its general budget has decreased in recent years.