Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding died of breast cancer two years ago – and now, a study hopes to help detect the disease early in young women aged 30-39 through risk screening
Before Sarah Harding tragically died of breast cancer aged just 39, the pop star vowed to help others fight the terrible disease that was cutting short her life.
And now, two years after she passed away, the Girls Aloud singer is set to leave an incredible lasting legacy, as a medical study launched in her name looks set to save thousands of lives. Dr Sacha Howell â the oncologist who treated Sarah â has revealed ambitious plans to detect the disease early in young women by establishing risk screening for all aged 30-39.
Breast cancer is the most common cause of death for women in their 30s, and more than 2,300 aged 39 or under are diagnosed each year. However, mammograms are only routinely offered on the NHS to over 50s, while the current approach of looking at family history only helps predict one in three cases.
Dr Howell’s study â the first into young women’s risks â will recruit 1,000 women aged 30-39 for low-level mammograms and saliva DNA analysis. The NHS trial aims to establish whether the density of breast tissue plays a part in the risk of younger women getting the disease, as it is known to do in older women.