EARLY warning signs of breast cancer could be found in breast milk, scientists have found.
It could help diagnose women at a younger age, with screening programmes only offered to those over the age of 40.
For the study, breast milk samples were obtained from three women diagnosed with breast cancer and three women without cancer.
Proteins in the breast milk were compared between the women and 23 were shown to be different in women with cancer.
The lead researcher also claimed this set of proteins could be seen in blood samples.
It could lead to a blood test to detect protein changes – and therefore detect breast cancer – in women of all ages.
Danielle Whitham, a doctoral candidate at Clarkson University in New York, said: “If our future studies are successful, it could change how women are monitored for breast cancer and aid in earlier diagnosis.
“This could even lead to a higher survival rate in women.
“Although mammograms are a useful tool for catching breast cancer early, they aren’t typically recommended for low-risk women under 40.
“Because the biomarkers we found in breast milk are also detectable in blood serum, screening could potentially be done in women of any age using blood or breast milk.”
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All cancer patients in the study had invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), one of the most common types of breast cancers.
However, the researchers say that their approach could be used to identify biomarkers for other types of breast cancer.
Almost 56,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year, and 11,500 die.
Around 1,500 of these are in women under the age of 40, statistics from Cancer Research shows.
Women first get invited to a mammogram between the age of 50 and 53, and every three years following until the age of 71.
Anyone with symptoms of the disease, including a lump or change in the breasts or nipples, should see their GP straight away.
The Clarkson University team plans to scale up their study to include more women to cement their findings.
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Women interested in helping with this research by donating breast milk samples can visit this website.
The research was presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting in Philadelphia.
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