Women aged 50 to 70 across England are being urged to take up invitations to breast screening as the NHS redoubles its bid to reach millions of women not yet taking up the potentially life-saving offer.
Last year alone, NHS breast screening services detected cancers in 18,942 women across England, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed and treated until a later stage.
However, analysis of latest NHS data shows that between 2018/19 and 2022/23, a total of 8.59 million breast screening appointments were attended (within six months of invitation) out of 13.05 million invitations.
Despite rising uptake overall last year, the latest annual (2022/23) data shows more than a third of women (35.4%) did not take up the offer of screening following an invitation, with 2.18 million eligible women not having had a breast screen in the last three years.
Around four in every 100 women screened are asked to come back for more tests after screening and offered care and treatment as required. Of these four women, one will be found to have cancer, with screening preventing an estimated 1,300 deaths from breast cancer each year in the UK.
The NHS is renewing its call for anyone invited to take up the offer of breast screening to give the best chance of cancer being picked up and treated as early as possible to help give the best possible outcomes.
Dr Louise Wilkinson, NHS National Speciality Adviser for Breast Screening and Consultant Radiologist, said: “Breast screening saves lives by allowing cancers to be identified and treated earlier – in fact, discovering breast cancer at the earliest stage may give you a 98% chance of surviving for five years or more.
“Screening can often pick up breast cancer before you can even see or feel any changes to your breasts yourself and your mammographer will do everything she can to make the experience as comfortable as possible for you, which is why I would urge anyone invited to take up the offer.”
As well as hospitals, screening is available in the wider community, for example through convenient mobile screening vans in supermarket car parks.
Under the NHS Breast Screening Programme, eligible women usually receive their first routine invitation for breast cancer screening between the ages of 50 and 53 and will normally be invited every three years until their 71st birthday.
However, NHS England is also asking women of all ages to be aware of their breast health and to know how to check themselves for cancer symptoms.
Being “breast aware” means being aware of how your breasts look and feel at different times, and crucially telling your doctor straight away if you notice any unusual changes. It takes only a few minutes to do and can help spot breast cancers at an earlier stage.
Kathryn Cowley was diagnosed with breast cancer after going to Chesterfield Royal Hospital for a routine mammogram in July 2022. After the mammogram detected an abnormality, she underwent further investigations which showed she had breast cancer.
Kathryn, now 58, said: “I was shocked but the consultant went through each step and put me at ease, he explained the type of breast cancer, including the size of the tumour and the treatment options.”
She underwent surgery in October 2022, followed by radiotherapy that December.
“My breast cancer journey has a positive outcome and it’s very lucky that I attended my regular breast screening. I have had now had my one year follow-up mammogram and I was very relieved that this was normal.
“Attending routine screening is vital – I was fortunate that I attended my appointment and did not put it off.
“My mammogram detected my cancer before it could be felt, which was a game changer.”
Women who have had a recent mammogram should continue to look at and check their breasts regularly.
Claire Rowney, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “These figures serve as a timely reminder, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that far too many people are missing out on the vital breast screening that saves lives from breast cancer.
“The stark reality is that thousands of women miss having their breast cancer detected each year. We look forward to working with NHS England to ensure breast screening services are accessible and convenient for everyone who is eligible.
“We encourage eligible women to attend their breast screening appointments when invited and to regularly check their breasts to get to ‘know their normal’ and get any new or unusual breast changes checked out by a GP, including between screening appointments.
“There’s no time to waste to save more lives from breast cancer.”
The best way of checking is the “TLC” method for checking their breasts and can visit Breast Cancer Now for more information:
- Touch your breasts. Can you feel anything new or unusual?
- Look for changes. Does anything look different?
- Check any new or unusual changes with your GP.
More information on NHS breast screening checks is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-screening-mammogram.
