The NHS Breast Screening Programme screens around 1.6 million women a year. Women aged 50 to 70, who are registered with a GP, are automatically invited for screening every three years. You will first be invited for screening between your 50th and 53rd birthday.
Women over the age of 70 are still eligible to be screened and can arrange this through their GP or local screening unit. The NHS is extending the breast screening age range in England so that by the end of 2012, all women aged 47 to 73 will be invited.
Screening takes place at a special clinic or mobile breast screening unit. A mammogram (X-ray of the breast) is taken by a female health professional. The mammogram is then studied to look for any abnormalities. The aim is to detect breast cancer at an early stage, when any changes in the breast would be too small to feel and when there is a good chance of successful treatment and full recovery.
It is estimated that screening saves around 1,300 lives a year and around a third of breast cancers are diagnosed through screening.
Not all cancers are found during breast screening. Breast cancer can develop between screening appointments. Even if you go to breast screening, it is important to get to know your breasts so you can spot any unusual changes early on and report them to your GP.
What happens at the screening unit?
Screening is carried out by female staff, who take mammograms to detect abnormalities. The breasts are X-rayed one at a time. The breast is placed on the X-ray machine and gently but firmly compressed with a clear plate. Two X-rays are taken of each breast at different angles. Most women find the compression uncomfortable and occasionally it may be painful. However, the compression is necessary to ensure the mammogram is clear. Any discomfort will be over quickly.
The results of the mammogram will be sent to you and your GP. About one woman in 20 will be called back for further assessment. Being called back does not mean you definitely have cancer. The first mammogram may have been unclear. About one in six women who are called back for further assessment are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Screening for women at high risk of breast cancer
You may be eligible for breast cancer screening before the age of 50 if breast cancer runs in your family. Your risk of developing breast cancer is considered to be higher than average if:
- Two or more close relatives (at least one of whom is your mother or sister) on the same side of your family have or have had breast cancer
- Three of your close relatives were diagnosed with breast cancer at any age
- One close relative has breast cancer and one has ovarian cancer (one of them being your mother, sister or daughter)
- Your mother or sister were diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40
- Your father or brother were diagnosed with breast cancer at any age
- Your mother or sister were diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts and were diagnosed for the first time under the age of 50
If any of the above applies to you, see your GP, who can refer you to a breast clinic for assessment based on your family history. If you have a high risk of developing breast cancer and you are over 40, you should be offered screening with a mammogram once a year. If you are under 40, you are entitled to screening using MRI scans instead of mammograms because your breasts may be too dense to produce a clear mammogram.
Genetic screening for breast cancer
If, following an assessment at your breast clinic, it is found that you have a family history of breast cancer, it may be because one of the genes that make breast cancer more likely runs in your family. You may be able to have screening for these genes, which are known as BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53.
To be genetically screened for breast cancer, you must have a living relative with breast cancer. You and your relative will both have a blood test to see if you carry any of the breast cancer genes.
If a breast cancer gene is found and you are under 49, you may be offered yearly MRI scans. If you are 50 or over, you may also be offered yearly mammograms.
Want to know more?
- NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme: Breast screening: the facts (PDF, 80Kb)
- Breakthrough Breast Cancer: NHS Breast Screening
- Cancer Research UK: Mammograms in breast screening
- Read statistics about the number of eligible women who are screened for breast cancer across England (PDF, 144Kb)