Women urged to attend breast screening to catch cancer early

Women are being urged to attend breast cancer screening after new data for England showed four in 10 do not accept their appointments.

Data published by NHS Digital shows that, while the number of women screened in England has risen to a record high following a drop during the pandemic, the proportion of women taking up the offer has yet to recover.

A total of 1.97 million woman aged 50 to 70 attended screening appointments within six months of an invitation in 2021/22, the highest number in records going back to 2012.

However, this was only 62.3% of the 3.17 million invited to book a check-up, the second lowest uptake over the decade.

Before the Covid pandemic, the uptake of screening fluctuated between 69% and 73%.

During the pandemic year of 202/21, some 61.8% took up the appointment.

Overall, a record 2.06 million women aged 50 to 70 were screened in 2021/22, which includes self-referrals as well as those invited.

In 2021/22, the NHS breast screening programme led to cancers being detected in 20,152 women across England, which otherwise may have been diagnosed at a later stage, NHS England said.

New national figures on cancer survival in England show that 91% of women diagnosed at an early stage of breast cancer, where the tumour is small, have a survival rate of at least five years.

The five-year survival rate for diagnosis at a late stage, where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (stage 4), is 39%.

Dame Cally Palmer, national cancer director for NHS England, said: “Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and the risk increases with age, but it also has one of the highest survival rates, thanks to advances in NHS screening and treatment.

“We know lives are saved when cancers are caught early and I would urge anyone who has received a breast screening invitation, even if you received the invite weeks or months ago, to make an appointment – it could save your life.

“It’s also important that women of all ages are aware of their breast health and know how to check themselves for cancer symptoms. This means getting to know how your breasts look and feel at different times and telling your doctor straight away if you notice any unusual changes.”

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 they are 70.

Chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, Baroness Delyth Morgan, said: “Today’s data starkly depicts the crisis surrounding the NHS breast screening programme’s performance.”

She said that while record numbers were invited to routine breast screening in 2021/22, “the frightening reality is that the proportion of women taking up their invite remains at an historic low for the second year running, meaning over one million women missed out on screening”.

She added: “Once an NHS success story, the breast screening programme is now chronically underfunded and overstretched.

“Our incredible NHS staff continue to go above and beyond to provide the best standard of care for breast cancer patients, but women will continue to be denied the best chance of timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment until the Government shows it’s serious about fixing the screening programme.

“This means taking decisive action to remove barriers to screening, ring-fence investment, fill workforce gaps and bring the programme into the 21st century to guarantee women’s right to accessible, equitable and effective breast screening.”