Breast Cancer Now and its campaigners are delighted that the first-ever national breast screening awareness campaign, funded by NHS England (NHSE), has been announced – this marks a significant moment for the charity who for the past two years has been calling for a campaign to improve screening uptake and drive early breast cancer diagnosis
Breast screening plays a key role in saving more lives from breast cancer. Yet the stark reality is, in England, each year, thousands of women miss out on having their breast cancer detected through screening, which finds most cancers at an early stage when survival rates are highest. The minimum target for 70% of women to take up their screening invite has been missed every year since 2019.[1]
There are significant health inequalities in early breast cancer diagnosis rates, which leave women living in highly deprived areas, and those from certain minority ethnic backgrounds, at much greater risk of late diagnosis.[2] Concerningly, these groups of women are less likely to attend regular breast screening, which is one of the root causes of these disparities.[3]
This is why, for the past two years – as part of its #NoTimeToWaste campaign - Breast Cancer Now, along with its supporters, has been calling for the government to invest in the long-term future of the breast screening programme, and provide a service that is convenient and equitable for everyone eligible.
In March 2023, the charity launched its screening transformation blueprint, drawing upon data, patient insight, and clinical feedback, to set out recommendations as to how the breast screening programme can be transformed, to meet current and future demands.[4] The blueprint highlighted the value of a dedicated awareness campaign focused on breast screening, as a key part of improving uptake after reaching records lows during the pandemic.
Since then, Breast Cancer Now’s #NoTimeToWaste petition - which was backed by over 55,000 members of the public - called on the government and NHSE to urgently commit to running a dedicated breast screening awareness campaign, targeted at those who are least likely to attend.
The dedicated nationwide awareness campaign to promote breast screening announced today is a significant step forward in improving public understanding of why breast screening is important, how it works, and crucially, encouraging more people to take it up when they’re invited.
Responding to the news, Claire Rowney, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“We're absolutely thrilled at NHS England’s announcement today that they’re funding the first-ever breast screening awareness campaign to encourage more women to attend breast screening when invited - for too long thousands of women have missed out on the vital screening that saves lives from breast cancer.
“Breast Cancer Now and our supporters have called for a national screening campaign for almost two years as part of our #NoTimeToWaste campaign, to drive early breast cancer diagnosis, and it feels a significant moment seeing this become a reality.
“While there’s no easy or quick fix to reverse years of poor uptake of breast screening in England, we welcome NHS England’s commitment to addressing this alarming trend.
“We know there are many reasons behind women not taking up their screening invite, and that uptake is lower amongst specific groups - including those living in more deprived areas and from certain minority ethnic communities - driving inequalities in early diagnosis and breast cancer survival. As such, NHS England’s plans to focus especially on reaching women who are less likely to get screened and often face additional barriers to attending, is so crucial to the success of this campaign.
“We look forward to working closely with NHS England to maximise the impact of this campaign and ensure screening is more accessible to everyone who is eligible.”
ENDS
Case Studies
Balwinder Nanray, aged 61, from Essex, was diagnosed with stage 3 HER+ breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes in August 2015 when she was 52, following her first routine mammogram. She has been supporting Breast Cancer Now’s #NoTimeToWaste campaign, and said:
“I am so happy about this amazing achievement. It makes me so proud after supporting Breast Cancer Now’s calls for a national breast screening awareness campaign.
“It’s vital that the unique challenges and experiences faced by underrepresented communities are addressed and that we understand and change the narrative around stereotypes, stigma, taboos that can still exist about breast screening.
“Importantly, this campaign will help increase awareness of the importance of breast screening and break down the barriers that exist so that everyone gets the chance to be diagnosed, treated early and have better outcomes.”
Debbie Pitfield, aged 62, from near Cambridge, was diagnosed with breast cancer after attending a routine screening appointment at the end of 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions. She has been supporting Breast Cancer Now’s #NoTimeToWaste campaign, and said:
“I am delighted about this campaign to increase the awareness of screening and its importance and strongly encourage women from all backgrounds to attend.
“I feel really strongly that we need to empower and educate people on the importance of screening. Thankfully, my cancer was caught early on my screening mammogram. Because of the type of breast cancer, I had there was no lump, so without screening it would have been undetected and may have been much more advanced when diagnosed. I didn’t need chemotherapy. My treatment was short, and I recovered quickly physically. Early diagnosis saves lives. I certainly feel that is the case for me and has allowed me to continue living life to the full.”
Almona Choudhury, aged 59, from Reading, was diagnosed with breast cancer after routine breast screening in October 2022. She has been supporting Breast Cancer Now’s #NoTimeToWaste campaign, and said:
“I didn’t have any symptoms to indicate that I may have breast cancer, so attending routine breast screening saved my life, as it does for so many other women. I’m now focused on living my life, volunteering, being a patient advocate, and my first overseas expedition abroad.
“It's so important that we tackle the myths and barriers that are in the way of people attending their breast screening appointments. Other commitments can get in the way and the thought of getting screened can fill some people with dread, embarrassment or even fear. Giving people the best chance to get screened means giving them the best chance to be diagnosed early and treated successfully."
Notes To Editor
[1] Breast Screening Programme, England, 2022-23 report - https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/breast-screening-programme/england---2022-23/mainreport2223
[2] Breast cancer in ethnic communities, Breast Cancer Now - https://breastcancernow.org/support-for-you/breast-cancer-in-ethnic-communities/
[3] Uncovering and addressing ethnic inequities in breast cancer diagnosis, Breast Cancer Now - https://breastcancernow.org/about-us/campaign-news/uncovering-and-addressing-ethnic-inequities-in-breast-cancer-diagnosis/
[4] Breast screening transformation blueprint, Breast Cancer Now.https://breastcancernow.org/sites/default/files/bcn_report_blueprint.pdf