Breast Cancer: Screening

(asked on 15th January 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the breast cancer screening age to 40.


Answered by
Andrew Stephenson Portrait
Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 22nd January 2024

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) currently recommends that all women aged from 50 years old up to their 71st birthday are invited for breast every three years, which are the parameters used for the national breast screening programme in England. There are circumstances where some women are offered screening more regularly, or outside this age bracket, for example those known to be at very high risk of breast cancer.

A research trial, AgeX, has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49, and one between the ages of 71 and 73. The UK NSC will review the results of this trial as soon as they are available.

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