Women ‘should be screened earlier’

Women in their thirties with a family history of breast cancer should receive annual mammograms, researchers say.

A new study funded by the charity Breast Cancer Now found cancers were picked up in younger age groups than those covered by current NHS screening, which often starts at age 40 for women known to be at risk.

The new study suggests that screening should be extended to women aged 35 to 39 with a family history. Breast Cancer Now’s chief executive Baroness Delyth Morgan said: “This could be an enormous breakthrough.”

The research, carried out at 34 UK screening centres, found that annual mammograms for women aged 35 to 39 at moderate or high risk of breast cancer detected tumours when they were significantly smaller in size, compared with women who were not screened.

Experts also found that earlier screening meant tumours were less likely to have spread.