NHS could start offering breast cancer examinations to women in their 30s

Millions of women in their 30s could be offered breast cancer checks on the NHS after a world-first trial identified those with a higher risk of developing the disease.

- Andrew Gregory

Currently, women are only eligible for breast screening from the age of 50. But about 10,000 women under 50 are diagnosed in the UK each year, including 2,400 in their 30s. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 35 to 50.

Now doctors leading a major study named in memory of the singer Sarah Harding say all women should undergo a comprehensive risk assessment when they turn 30.

Harding, who was part of the pop group Girls Aloud, died from the disease aged 39 in 2021 and one of her final wishes was to find new ways of spotting breast cancer early, when it is more treatable.

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women (Bcan-Ray) project, run by the Christie hospital in Manchester, where Harding was treated, is the first of its kind in the world to identify which younger women are at increased risk of the disease. Early results from the study show that about one in five women aged between 30 and 39 years old have been identified at increased risk.

They are being given information on steps they can take to reduce their odds of developing the disease.

They will also be offered yearly check-ups until they reach the age when they are eligible for NHS breast cancer screening at the age of 50.