Breast cancer screening

Breast cancer screening is a way of finding breast cancer at an early stage, when it may be too small to see or feel. If breast cancer is found at an early stage, treatment is usually easier and more likely to be successful.

Breast cancer screening uses a test called mammography (an x-ray of the breast). To find out more about what it’s like to go for a mammogram and what happens after the test, go to our patient information website, CancerHelp UK.

To learn more about spotting breast cancer early, and hear from doctors and people who have experienced breast cancer, watch our video.

Breast screening is very effective. The latest figures suggest that the programme saves 1,400 lives every year in England alone.

Studies by Cancer Research UK and others have found that screening has reduced breast cancer death rates by up to a quarter in women within the screening age range.

Our CancerStats section has detailed statistical information about breast screening.

Doctors can treat breast cancer more easily when it is found at an early stage. Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the earliest possible stage have a nine in ten chance of surviving for at least five years after diagnosis. But if the cancer is very advanced at the point of diagnosis, these odds fall to under two in ten.

In the UK, all women over the age of 50 are entitled to breast screening.

In England, Wales and Scotland, women are invited for breast screening between the ages of 50-70 every three years. The programme in England is now being extended to cover women aged 47-73. This expansion will be completed by 2012.
In Northern Ireland, women are invited between the ages of 50-64 every three years.

The breast screening programme works on a three-year cycle. This means that women will get their first invitation after they turn 50 but before they are 54.

To be invited for breast screening, you need to be registered with a GP. You can find out how to do this at NHS Choices.

Breast cancer is much more common in older women. When you are over 70 (over 64 in Northern Ireland), you won’t automatically be invited to breast screening, but your doctor or local breast screening unit can arrange an appointment for you if you would like to be screened.

At the current time, women under 50 aren’t automatically invited for breast screening. This is because mammography isn’t as effective in women who haven’t been through the menopause, because their breast tissue is very dense. It’s also because it’s less likely for women in this age group to develop breast cancer.

Cancer Research UK continues to fund research to improve the effectiveness of the national breast cancer screening programme.

To read about our research into breast cancer screening, go to our research highlights pages.

When it comes to finding cancer early, screening is only one part of the story. As well as attending screening, you can help to spot breast cancer early by being breast aware and looking out for any unusual changes.

There are many factors which affect a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Things we can do to reduce the risk of breast cancer include: