In 2008, out of 2.2 million women who were sent an invitation for screening, 1.7 million attended – around 73%. Now experts are predicting that if all women attended screening when invited, then around 600 extra lives could be saved each year.
In January, the number of newly invited women in England who went for screening fell below 70% for the first time. Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer information, said: “Screening saves lives, so it is extremely worrying to see that the percentage of women going for screening is dropping. Although there has been some criticism of the breast cancer screening programme in the past it is still the best weapon we have in the early detection of a disease that affects more than 45,500 women every year. “Our research has found that screening has reduced breast cancer death rates by up to a quarter in women within the screening age range, while international research found that for every 500 women screened, one life will be saved.”
