Fears of breast cancer time bomb as charity warns 13 THOUSAND cases may have been missed due to drop in NHS screening levels

It is feared that more than 13,000 women with breast cancer may have missed an earlier diagnosis because the NHS has repeatedly failed to meet screening targets.

Breast Cancer Now is calling for a national awareness campaign to improve uptake of screening after new figures showed the target has been missed for four years in a row.

According to NHS England, fewer than two in three women (64.6 percent) will have made their screening appointment in 2022/2023.

This is a small improvement on last year’s 62.3 per cent, but performance has lagged behind the NHS ‘minimum target’ of 70 per cent since 2019/20.

Breast Cancer Now warns today that this is a ’cause of great concern’ because screening is an ‘essential tool’ that can detect most forms of breast cancer early, when survival rates are almost 100 percent.

In 2022/2023, 2.98 million women aged 50 to 70 were invited for a breast exam, but only 1.93 million attended within six months of receiving the invitation – the time frame used to measure participation.

It meant that more than one in three women (35.4 percent) did not attend, rising to almost half (46.3 percent) among those invited for the first time.

Uptake was highest in the South East at 68 percent and lowest in London at 55.4 percent.

The screening program led to the detection of cancer in 18,942 women across England in 2022/2023, the figures show.

Without screening, these may only be diagnosed and treated at a later stage, when the chances of survival are lower.

However, if the target of 70 percent of uptake had been met in all four years it was missed, Breast Cancer Now estimates that 4,889 more cases of breast cancer would have been found, allowing these women to start treatment earlier .

And if uptake had reached the health system’s more ambitious target of 80 percent, an estimated 13,737 additional cases could be detected.

NHS England urged women to put their health ‘at the top of their to-do list and come forward for a breast examination if invited to do so’.

The figures come after a report from Breast Cancer Now and cross-party think tank Demos, published earlier this month, which found that increasing uptake of breast screening in Britain to 80 per cent could save the economy between £96 million and £111 million by 2034 to rescue.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said a national awareness campaign would help the public better understand why breast screening is important and help break down myths and misconceptions that can put people off attending.

She added: ‘For the fourth year running, uptake of breast screening in England has tragically fallen short of the minimum target of 70 per cent.

‘Our incredible NHS staff continue to do their best to provide the best standard of care, but women will be denied the best chance of a timely diagnosis of breast cancer until the Government shows it is serious about breast cancer screening.

‘We urgently need more women eligible for breast cancer screening, and for screening units to be supported to reach more women and help save more lives from the disease.

‘The Government recognizes that the breast screening program is critical to achieving its goals of increasing early diagnosis and reducing cancer inequalities.

‘But these disappointing figures show that the country is once again failing to take the decisive action needed to increase participation in the screenings.

‘We are urgently calling on the Government and NHS England, as part of our #NoTimeToWaste campaign, to invest in breast screening and deliver a national awareness campaign.

‘This should promote the importance and availability of breast screening in England, with a focus on areas and communities where uptake is lowest; a critical first step in transforming the program and ensuring women’s access to breast screening now and in the future.”

The government has invested £70 million to modernize screening services over the next three years, with plans to offer more booking options, including online and through call centres.

Dr. Louise Wilkinson, radiologist and national specialist consultant for breast screening at NHS England, said: ‘Around one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and detecting it at an early stage helps give people the best chance of success. therapy.

‘Today’s figures show that 18,942 women were diagnosed and able to seek treatment because they had a breast examination last year.

‘We know that lives are saved when cancer is detected early.

‘I know life is busy, but I would urge anyone who has received an invitation for a breast exam – even if you received the invitation weeks or months ago – to put your health at the top of your to-do list and to make an appointment with your doctor. local screening service or mobile unit.

“It could save your life.”

Under the NHS Breast Screening Program, eligible women typically receive their first routine invitation for breast cancer screening between the ages of 50 and 53, and normally every three years until their 71st birthday.

NHS England is also asking women of all ages to be aware of their breast health and know how to check themselves for cancer symptoms.

The introduction of ‘open invitations’ for mammography appointments on the NHS has been blamed for the decline in the number of women presenting for breast cancer screening.

Before the pandemic, all women received mammography appointments with a fixed date and time.

But the NHS is now recommending ‘open invitations’, which requires women to call and book their own appointment.

A study from Queen Mary University last year found that women were 14 percent more likely to show up for a mammogram if they had an appointment with a date and time, rather than an open invitation.