Number of women going for breast scans at 10-year low

THE number of women having breast cancer screening has dropped to its lowest level in ten years.

While breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK – with about 55,000 cases diagnosed and 11,500 deaths each year – it has high survival rates if spotted early enough.

However, figures show that only 71.1 per cent of women who were due a mammogram had one in 2017, down from 72.1 per cent in 2015/16 and 73.6 per cent in 2006/7.

Cancer charities said that the fall may be due to women not having the time to attend appointments as well as being fearful of tumours being detected.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at the charity Breast Cancer Now, said last night: ‘It’s extremely concerning to see breast screening uptake fall to the lowest rate in a decade, particularly following the progress suggested by last year’s slight increase.

‘We urgently need to understand better the reasons for this decline and much more needs to be done to ensure that women are able to attend screening.’

There are also concerns that screening can do more harm than good, because many women end up having unnecessary surgery for slow-growing cancers.

A major review in 2012 found while screening saved 1,300 lives a year, it also led to 4,000 women enduring needless surgery for tumours that would not have caused them harm.

Baroness Morgan added: ‘ There could be a number of reasons, including difficulties in managing the appointments or worries about being diagnosed with breast cancer, and the barriers to access now need to be fully investigated.

‘Breast screening has small risks as well as benefits, and it is absolutely crucial that women have access to all the information they need to make an informed personal choice about attending.’

The NHS screening programme invites all women aged 50 to 70 for checks every three years at a specialist clinic, but many find it uncomfortable and stressful.

It was launched in 1988 and women receive letters from their GP calling them in for checks. There have also been numerous campaigns to raise awareness and encourage women to get checked.

They are also sent leaflets setting out the risks and benefits of screening.

Previously these were criticised as patronising and one-sided, with women saying they exaggerated the benefits. The NHS updated the leaflets in 2013 to make them more balanced, and they now state clearly that a mammogram can be uncomfortable and painful and may lead some women to have unnecessary treatment.

The figures from NHS Digital show that the lowest uptake of mammograms was in London, with just 64 per cent attending their appointment, followed by the North West at 68.8 per cent.

Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of the charity Breast Cancer Care, said: ‘Our concern is women may not be empowered to get the support and information they need to make a decision that’s right for them.

‘Mammograms remain the most effective tool at our disposal for detecting breast cancer at the earliest possible stage. However, it’s crucial to be aware of what’s normal for you and get anything unusual checked out.’

Only yesterday a major study in the Lancet revealed the UK’s cancer survival rates were lagging behind many other Western nations, with breast cancer rated 26th out of 63 countries analysed.

Professor Anne Mackie, Public Health England’s director of screening, said: ‘We’re working extremely hard with our NHS and community colleagues to make it as easy as we can for women who want to be screened. Regular breast screening is one of the best ways to detect breast cancer at an early stage.’

‘Worries about being diagnosed’