A £10 test for hereditary breast cancer could be available to women as early as next year, cancer experts say.

Current tests for the specific gene mutations that can increase the risk of breast cancer require sequencing of a person’s entire genetic make-up, which can cost thousands of pounds and take up to 18 weeks to complete.

But a method is being tested that could allow scientists to focus on individual genes, cutting costs and the time spent on the process. The technique makes use of “next generation” sequencing, which allows several samples of DNA to be screened at a time and can be completed in just a week.

Until now, next-generation technologies were used to scan the entire genetic sequence more quickly, but scientists are attempting to use them to search for gene changes in a tiny fraction of a person’s genome.

According to Professor Graham Taylor, head of Genomic Services at Cancer Research UK, the new techniques could reduce costs by up to 99 per cent, making £10 tests a possibility. Professor Taylor, who is conducting trials of the new approach at two regional laboratories, said: “It’s important for two reasons: to minimise the period when someone’s anxious about the result, and I suppose because the sooner you make decisions the better it is.”

More than 44,000 women have breast cancer diagnosed every year in Britain and 1,000 die each month. An estimated 5 to 10 per cent of patients have an inheritable form of the disease due to mutations in either of two genes known as BRCA1 or BRCA2. In their normal state, these genes protect against cancer, but women who carry a mutation in either of the genes have up to an 80 per cent chance of developing cancer during their lifetimes.

Genetic testing within the NHS is available for individuals with a strong family history of breast cancer and where there is clear evidence that the results could have important health implications. Professor Sir David Lane, Cancer Research UK’s chief scientist, said: “This process can take a long time because looking for a gene fault is a bit like looking for a single spelling mistake in a very long book.”

Professor Taylor is due to discuss the continuing trials today at the annual meeting of the British Society for Human Genetics at the University of York. Pilot studies are under way to examine the potential for next generation technology to be used to diagnose a range of hereditary cancers, with results expected next year.

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