Cancer cases detected by the NHS Breast Screening Programme double in ten years

The NHS Breast Screening Programme is detecting twice the number of cancer cases that it did ten years ago, according to a report out today from The NHS Information Centre.

Figures show the programme detected 14,110 cases in 2007-08; double the number in 1997-98 when it picked up 6,914 cases. Of the cancers it detected in 2007-08, 11,110 or 78.7 per cent were invasive – the most serious type.

More than half of the invasive cancers (52.3 per cent) were less than 15 mm and not detectable by hand.

The increase in the number of cancer cases could be the result of the expansion of the programme to cover 65 to 70-year-olds as well as 50 to 64-year-olds.

Findings from the report Breast Screening Programme, England 2007-08 show:

  • More than 2.2 million (aged 45 and over) were invited for screening, an increase of 52.5 per cent from 1.5 million in 1997-98.
  • Of those invited, 1.7 million (aged 45 and over) were screened, compared to 1.2 million in 1997/98
  • Coverage among 53 to 64-year-olds rose to 76.7 per cent – up 0.7 percentage points on the previous year and the fourth consecutive year in which coverage increased.
  • Coverage among the 65 to 70 year-olds increased to 73.9 per cent – a rise of around six percentage points on the previous year and more than 42 percentage points since March 2002 when the programme began to include women in the age band.

Chief executive of The NHS Information Centre Tim Straughan said: “The report highlights the success of the programme in picking up thousands of cases of breast cancer at an earlier stage than they would have been otherwise.

“Undoubtedly, the programme is saving an increasing number of women's lives not only as a result of improved coverage but also as a result of its extension to include older women.

“The Cancer Reform Strategy, published in December 2007, gave the commitment that the breast screening programme will be expanded to women aged 47 to 73 by 2012. Current trends suggest this will help detect even more cancers at an earlier stage.”

A full copy of the report, which includes regional level data is at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/brstscreen0708

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  1. The NHS Information Centre (The NHS IC) is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with more than 300 health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
  2. The coverage of the screening programme is the proportion of women resident and eligible* at a particular point in time (31st March 2007 in this instance) who have had a test with a recorded result at least once in the previous 3 years. (*Excluding those ineligible i.e. those who have had a bilateral mastectomy)
  3. Coverage of the programme is currently assessed on the 53 to 64 age group as women may be called for screening at any time between their 50th and 53rd birthdays and then at three yearly intervals until the age of 64. Coverage will be assessed on the extended age range (53 to 70) when it has been fully implemented, probably in 2008/09.
  4. For media enquiries please call 0845 257 6990 or contact: