Missing first breast screen raises cancer risk by 40%

WOMEN who miss their first breast cancer screening appointment have a 40% higher risk of dying from the disease during their lifetime, a study of half a million people has revealed.

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

In England, women are invited for breast screening from the age of 50 up to the age of 71, and all should have received a first invitation for a mammogram by the age of 53.

Latest NHS data shows 70% of eligible women were up to date with screening as of March 2024, meaning almost one in three were not.

Author Wei He, associate professor at Zhejiang University in China, said: "Our study shows that first screening nonparticipants represent a large population at an elevated risk of dying from breast cancer decades in advance. This increased mortality is primarily attributed to late detection."