'Boost breast cancer NHS screening to halt the soaring cost of disease'

THE annual cost of breast cancer to the economy could rise to £4.2billion by 2050, a report warns.

- By Hanna Geissler Health Editor

Analysis by charity Breast Cancer Now and think tank Demos estimates the disease is already costing £3.2bn to £3.5bn year.

The total includes the impact of rising incidence and resulting costs of diagnosing and treating the disease, plus lost productivity.

Breast Cancer Now is calling on the Government to boost screening uptake. Anyone registered with a GP will be automatically invited for screening every three years between the ages of 50 and 71.

The latest figures show that 70% of women took up their invitation in 2023-24, an increase of 5.4% from the previous year.

‘According to the analysis, increasing this to 80% could generate up to £185m in savings by helping to detect cases earlier when treatment is more likely to be successful.