Lower‐Cost Nonsurgical Primary Prevention Strategies for Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer: A Scoping Review
Menghua Wen, Youfu Zhao, Chunying HeBackground
A systematic mapping of nonsurgical, lower‐cost primary prevention strategies for women at high risk of breast cancer remains limited.
Objective
To identify and summarize lower‐cost (i.e., lower economic cost relative to surgical and pharmaceutical alternatives; not dependent on expensive equipment, patented drugs, or complex medical procedures; implementable through community, family, or self‐management models), nonsurgical primary prevention strategies for women at high risk of breast cancer, providing empirical evidence to inform clinical practice, health education, and public health policy.
Methods
Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and the Participants, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework, we systematically searched 9 Chinese and English databases. Search terms covered “breast cancer,” “high‐risk women,” “primary prevention,” and various nonsurgical strategies. Two independent reviewers performed literature screening and data extraction.
Results
Seventeen studies were included, and six prevention strategy categories were identified: nutritional dietary interventions, physical activity interventions, comprehensive lifestyle interventions, chemoprevention, digital health interventions, and health education with self‐management. Comprehensive lifestyle intervention emerged as the core strategy with robust evidence and manageable costs. Nutritional interventions have shifted from single nutrients to overall dietary patterns. Chemoprevention, limited by cost and side effects, is more suitable for very high‐risk women. Digital health interventions and health education offer advantages in medically underserved areas.
Conclusion
This scoping review systematically maps lower‐cost, nonsurgical primary prevention strategies for women at high risk of breast cancer, identifying six categories of promotable interventions. Comprehensive lifestyle intervention represents the most evidence‐supported and economically manageable core strategy. For the first time from the dual perspectives of “nonsurgical” and “lower cost,” this review provides practical references for primary healthcare systems, clinical education, and public health policy, with particular relevance for resource‐limited settings.