Blog 14: Breast Screening

 

In March, eligible female patients aged between 50 and their 71st birthday will be invited for breast screening at St Mary’s Hospital.

Breast screening is offered every three years for patients in this age bracket. This is because most breast cancers develop in women over the age of 50.

Women over 71 may also request breast screening every three years and may self-refer.

The NHS offers breast screening because it can save lives from breast cancer. Screening can find signs of breast cancer at an early stage, including cancers that are too small for you to feel or see. Finding breast cancer early means that your treatment may be simpler and is more likely to be effective. 

Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast begin to divide and grow abnormally. It is the most common type of cancer in women in the UK. One in severn women may get breast cancer in their lifetimes. The seriousness of breast cancer depends on how big the cancer is and if the cancer has spread.

Early detection and better treatments have led to improved recovery and survival from breast cancer. Nationally, screening saves about one life from breast cancer for every 200 women who are screened. This adds up to about 1,300 lives saved from breast cancer each year in Britain.

Learn more about breast cancer and the screening programme on the Gov UK website

If you are a female in the screening age bracket and have not been screened within the last three years, please look out for an invitation. If the appointment offered is not convenient it can easily be changed by telephoning the London Breast Screening Programme Appointment Hub (Hub) on 020 3758 2024.

Published: Feb 2, 2026