This year in October during the Breast cancer awareness month, I would like to focus on Breast Screening especially in the UK. Currently nearly 1 in 3 women in England do not attend routine screening invites, which is unsettling. Latest data show that the uptake of screening is just over 70% in England. While this …
This year in October during the Breast cancer awareness month, I would like to focus on Breast Screening especially in the UK. Currently nearly 1 in 3 women in England do not attend routine screening invites, which is unsettling. Latest data show that the uptake of screening is just over 70% in England. While this is encouraging and has increased from the pandemic-related dip. But 70% is the minimum number of attendance to make screening worthwhile, so we are just on the fence.
We know screening saves 1300 lives per year in the UK. With the achievable target of 80% attendance, over 2200 more cancers are estimated to be detected and several hundred more lives saved. I see this in my daily practice where screen detected cancers are almost always early and at a curable stage.
There’s a wide variation in attendance among regions ranging from 55% (1 in 2 women not attending) to 81% (4 out of 5 attending) which is linked to deprivation. Reasons for poor uptake include lack of awareness, cultural stigma, lack of transport, and work and caring responsibilities. Women pf ethnic minorities or disabilities are more likely to face barriers to attend.
So along with regular self checking and being breast-aware, it is essential to attend screening if you are between 50-70 to detect any cancer or pre-cancer changes early and avoid complex treatment or worse outcome later.
Source: Breast Cancer Now and NHS England
