Why Prevent Breast Cancer Supports PRS Testing

A Polygenic Risk Score Test (PRS Test) estimates your risk of developing certain cancers, including breast cancer, based on your genes.

Instead of reviewing just one gene, it examines tiny DNA fragments called SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms), which can affect your risk of developing breast cancer.

Most breast cancers are not caused just by genetics, but by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

The polygenic risk score test is simple and non-invasive. Simply provide a saliva sample using a spit kit and fill out a short questionnaire.

By combining your genetic information with your personal and family history, the test gives you a personalised risk score for developing cancer.

On this page we will refer to the AnteBC Polygenic Risk Score Test, which is a type of PRS test offered privately by Prevent Cancer UK, as part of their Personalised Breast Cancer Prevention Plan service.

One of the ambitions of Prevent Breast Cancer is to see risk prediction tests made available to all women over 30 across the UK as an NHS screening service. At the present time, the NHS simply doesn’t have the funds or the staff to do this.

For those of you who wish to purchase private polygenic risk score gene testing, we can point you to Prevent Cancer UK as a reputable company who offers the AnteBC polygenic risk score test within their Personalised Breast Cancer Prevention Plan.

The polygenic risk score test is currently only available privately. The AnteBC PRS test can be purchased on the Prevent Cancer UK website, meaning anyone can order the test. However, the test is targeted at women over the age of 30.

If your test result shows particularly high risk, then your GP may be able to refer you to an NHS clinic for advice on what to do. On the other hand, you may have to pay for any additional tests or scans yourself, adding to the final cost.

Please note that Prevent Breast Cancer cannot give you individual clinical advice on the results of a private test. 

Although the initial model involves women choosing to pay for polygenic risk score testing, the insights gained could drive a shift towards more personalised, targeted, and ultimately more fair and inclusive breast cancer screening and prevention – ensuring that interventions are based on actual risk, not assumptions, and helping identify and support high-risk women who might otherwise be missed.

At first glance, offering private polygenic risk score testing (especially when paid for by individuals) might seem like it risks creating unfairness, because not everyone can afford it.

However, if you design the programme carefully, it can support a more equitable approach overall to breast cancer prevention and screening.

Better Identification of Hidden Risk:
Traditional risk factors (like family history) miss a lot of women at high risk – particularly women from underrepresented groups who might not have complete family history records (e.g., smaller families, adoption, earlier deaths). Polygenic risk score testing gives everyone an opportunity to understand their personal genetic risk, beyond just those with obvious family histories.

Targeted Screening Based on Need, Not Assumptions:
Currently most breast screening is based on age, not individual risk.
PRS testing helps move towards screening based on who most needs it, rather than a one-size-fits-all model

Informing Future Public Provision:
Even if the first step involves women paying for polygenic risk score if they can afford it, the data collected can demonstrate the value of risk-based screening.
This evidence could strengthen the case for a polygenic risk score test to be offered free or subsidised in the NHS in the future, making personalised prevention accessible to all women, not just those who can pay.

Earlier Intervention for Underserved Groups:
By identifying high-risk women earlier (especially in communities that traditionally have lower screening uptake), polygenic risk score testing could lead to earlier interventions, improving survival rates across diverse populations.

Building Inclusive Risk Prediction Models:
Over time, offering polygenic risk score testing to a broader range of women will help improve and diversify the data that underpins the risk scores themselves, making them more accurate and fairer for women from different ethnicities and backgrounds.