Researchers from Denmark have caused controversy by criticising the way the NHS screens us for breast cancer, which could lead us to question the way we’re screened. The disease is one of the most common in the UK and threatens the wellness of over 50,000 of us a year, making it important that there is a national programme to help eradicate the condition. But, researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre recently said the system we have in the UK could be improved.
Why screen
Breast cancer is fatal for 12,000 of us every year, so in the UK we get offered routine mammograms if we’re over the age of 50, and this could be lowered to 40 if we fall into at-risk groups. Figures show that for every 400 women screened a breast cancer death is prevented. Although these statistics pave the way for the national screening programme, the researchers from Denmark believe the figures could be inaccurate, and these routine health checks could lead to some women having unnecessary treatment.
The UK model
One of the leaders on the study – professor Peter Gotzsche – believes that up to one in three lumps found via screening may not need treatment, as the cancer may not spread or grow enough to affect our wellbeing. Some tumours just remain dormant or even become regressive without medication, say the researchers. They believe that there are not as many benefits to routine screening as suggested by the NHS, and they go on to say that an important reason fewer people are dying from the disease is because treatment is better.
Not all these views have been accepted by breast cancer charities. Breakthrough Breast Cancer say that screening is responsible for saving lives, and that the Denmark researchers haven’t based their findings on new statistics. When we face treatment like this, talking to our GPs is a good way to clear up any doubts we have and can help us make informed decisions.
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