Women could avoid unnecessary and harmful breast cancer treatment in the future as they will be able to get cures customized for 10 distinct strains of the disease identified by a research team recently.

The team led by Prof. Carlos Caldas of Cambridge University has identified 10 genetic types of cancer in an analysis of genes of 2,000 breast cancer tumors, the British daily The Telegraph reported in its Internet edition, April 18.

Currently, breast cancer has traditionally been viewed as a single condition which has three or four varieties, the paper said.

The paper reported that the details of breast cancer will help doctors determine more accurately which treatments stand the best chance of eliminating a particular tumor, and avoid those least likely to benefit the patient.

Prof Caldas said that doctors are over-treating a significant number of patients at the moment because they just cannot precisely define which patients will respond best to which drugs.

For example, studies have suggested that up to 10 women undergo unnecessary treatment for every one whose life is saved.

Experts predict that it will take three to five years to develop more accurate diagnostic tests and even longer to produce new drugs.

The research outcome is carried in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature’s online edition.