Key findings: In 2020/21, around 936,000 fewer women in England were screened for breast cancer compared to the previous year. This is a decrease of 44%. In 2020/21, screening uptake reached an all-time low of 61.8%. This was a 7.3% decrease on the previous year. Regional uptake varied from 54.1% in London, to 65% in the East Midlands and the Southeast.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“That 930,000 fewer women were screened for breast cancer between March 2020 to 2021, compared to the previous year1 is an alarming reminder of the devastating and continued impacts of the pandemic on breast cancer care and diagnosis.
“Screening uptake has hit its lowest point in history, with less than 62% of women invited being screened.
"That's despite NHS staff working tirelessly, in the toughest of circumstances, to restart and continue breast screening services after they needed to be paused in March 2020.2
“The human cost behind these figures is stark, with an estimated 8,870 women in the UK living with undetected breast cancer as a result of the pandemic3 - a significant number of which would have been detected at routine screening.
"Tragically, research suggests that up to an additional 680 women could die from breast cancer in the next decade, due to impacts of the pandemic on screening.4
“Breast screening is a vital tool for detecting breast cancer early, and the sooner it’s diagnosed, the more likely that treatment is to be successful.
“Improving screening uptake and clearing the backlog of delayed invitations are critical actions that NHS England must prioritise, to prevent more women tragically dying from the disease.
“Next year’s screening figures will be the true indicator of how successfully the programme has restarted, recovered and delivered on these actions.
“Complete restoration of the breast screening programme, and a fully resourced plan for the diagnostic workforce required to run it, must also be central pillars of the government’s upcoming 10-year Cancer Strategy for England.
“Anyone seeking information and support can speak to our expert nurses by calling our free Helpline on 0808 800 6000."
ENDS
Notes to Editor
- 2,123,589 women screened (age 45+) in 2019/20 compared to 1,187,159 in 2020/21. NHS Breast Screening Programme, England 2020-21.
- Screening units restarted routine screening services between April and September 2020. NHS Breast Screening Programme, England 2020-21.
- The number of people starting their first treatment for breast cancer under the 31-day wait from decision to treat between March 2020 and December 2021 (compared to data from the same months in 2019/20) in England. Calculated using Monthly Provider Based Data and Summaries, Cancer Waiting Times, NHS England.
- Duffy, S.W., Seedat, F., Kearins, O. et al. The projected impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on breast cancer deaths in England due to the cessation of population screening: a national estimation. Br J Cancer (2022).