My Breakthrough
Screening from an earlier age
Screening for breast cancer does not prevent disease itself, but it aims to detect cancer early, before symptoms can be detected through other means such as breast awareness.
The NHS only uses a screening technique when its benefits are
proven.
The NHS Breast Screening Programme is available for women over the age of 50. Women between the ages of 50 and 70 are invited to attend a special clinic or mobile screening unit to have a mammogram (an x-ray of the breasts) every three years. Women aged 70 or over may make an appointment at the screening clinic without an invitation.
The reasons why the NHS Breast Screening Programme starts at the age of 50, are:
- Most breast cancers occur in postmenopausal women (over the age of 50).
- The breast tissue of younger (premenopausal) women is denser - making it harder to get a clear picture of the breast.
Family history and screening
Women with a family history are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer at a younger age. As a result, they are entitled to screening before the age of 50. The age at which you enter a screening programme will be decided between you and your health
professionals.
Recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
Recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines about what should be available to women with an increased risk of developing breast cancer are shown below. These guidelines were updated on 25 October 2006 to include new recommendations on MRI screening.Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic fault
You are entitled to annual MRI from the ages of 30 to 49. You will also be offered mammography as part of your individualised screening plan.Women with a TP53 genetic fault
You are entitled to annual MRI from the age of 20. You will also be offered mammography as part of your individualised screening plan.Women with a strong family history of breast cancer
If you have a strong family history of breast cancer you are entitled to annual mammograms from the ages of 40 to 49.Depending on your level of risk because of your family history, as assessed at a genetics clinic, you may be offered MRI screening.
Women with a moderate family history of breast cancer
If you have a moderate family history of breast cancer you are entitled to annual mammograms from the ages of 40 to 49.Mammography
When mammography is recommended in women with a family history of breast cancer under the age of 50, digital mammography may be used instead of standard mammography at centres where this is available.Having a digital mammogram involves the same procedure as having a standard mammogram. However, instead of an X-ray film showing an image of the breast, the image is converted into a digital signal and displayed on a computer screen.
Women with a family history of breast cancer aged 50 and above
For most women with a moderate or strong family history of breast cancer, the increased risk of breast cancer compared to the general population decreases to become closer to the population risk as they get older. As a result, screening may become less frequent. Everyone can get a free mammogram every three years from the age of 50 as part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme (although invitations are only sent out until the age of 70 at present). More frequent screening may be made available as part of a research study.Information
All women with a family history of breast cancer should receive written information about the advantages and disadvantages of screening and exactly what to expect from a screening appointment.You should also be offered sources of support and further information.
Service standards
The mammography you receive should be audited and to the same standard as the NHS Breast Screening Programme.The MRI you receive should be performed to high quality standards.
Ovarian screening
If your family history includes ovarian as well as breast cancer, then you may be offered ovarian screening. This should be part of a research study, such as UKFOCSS, and will include ultrasounds of the ovaries and regular blood tests.Contacts
If you are concerned about your family history of breast cancer and would like to know more about what screening you are entitled to, please contact your GP.If you are currently being screened under the age of 50 because of your family history and would like to know what the new updated October 2006 NICE recommendations mean for you, please discuss these with your genetics counsellor, consultant or your family history clinic.
Also within "Family history"
