Jury out over breast tests for younger women
 Scientists have told the BBC that the ‘jury is still out’ following a 10-year investigation into whether women aged 40 to 50 should be included in the NHS breast cancer screening programme.
The Department of Health-backed study, involving 160,000 women, found yearly screening made no impact on breast cancer deaths in this age group.
Currently, when women reach 50 they are invited for screening every three years by the NHS Breast Screening Programme.
The Institute of Cancer Research report is published in The Lancet.
In the study, funded by Cancer Research UK, a third of the women received annual screening invitations at the age of 40 and two-thirds only the usual three-yearly screening invite at the age of 50.
The women were then followed up for an average of 11 years. From their findings, the researchers estimate screening from age 40 could save four lives for every 10,000 women screened.
But the benefit of screening women in their 40s needs to be balanced against possible negative considerations, they say.
For example screening at younger ages would increase a woman's radiation exposure, which can contribute to breast cancer risk.
And recalling women who do not have cancer for further tests, adds to their anxiety and results in higher financial costs for the screening programme.
Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said: "It is important that the benefits and limitations of screening this age group are properly evaluated. The advisory committee on breast cancer screening will consider the findings in detail."
Read the full story on the BBC website.
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