Women not taking up first invitation to breast screening is a decades long crisis, warns leading breast cancer charity

Breast screening is the most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is most likely to succeed.[2]

Worryingly, women who don’t go to their first breast cancer screening appointment are much less likely to take up subsequent screening invitations. In 2024/2025, only 20.9% of women in England who had never previously taken up screening invitations attended, compared to 89.1% uptake amongst women who had been screened in the last five years.

It is encouraging that overall uptake in England has reached the 70% minimum standard for the second consecutive year (70.6%),but this means nearly 30% of women are not attending their screening invitation. Progress needs to be built on to further drive up attendance, especially in areas with lower engagement. 

Today, Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, is sharing that she was diagnosed with breast cancer after changes were detected between her first and second mammogram screening. This led to further tests and ultimately, a diagnosis. Claire is reiterating the importance of ensuring all women consistently attend their breast screening, from their first invite.

She says: “Breast cancer is so far from a done deal, it’s great that screening saves around 1,300 lives a year in the UK from the disease – which makes it extremely concerning that the latest screening data reveals a continuation of a trend of women not attending their first screening appointment. We know that women who miss their first mammogram are less likely to attend further screening appointments. 

“The importance of attending screening hit home for me personally last October, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself. It was the change between my first and second mammogram that made them investigate further, which ultimately led to a diagnosis. I was fortunate that my breast cancer was caught early, at stage 1, when the survival rate is almost 100%, and I started treatment quickly. 

“My own experience and that of the many women I have met with breast cancer has deepened my determination to drive progress further, faster so that everyone diagnosed with breast cancer lives, and lives well.

“We estimate that if screening uptake levels had reached the achievable target of 80% in 2024/25, over a quarter of a million (259,519) more women would have undergone routine screening, and an estimated additional 2,228 breast cancers would have been found.  The scale of the missed opportunity is stark and unacceptable.

“We know what works. Now we must ensure every eligible woman attends when invited.”

There are many reasons women don’t attend their breast screening appointments, including cultural stigma, fear or misconceptions about cancer or the screening process, as well as practical challenges such as a lack of transport options or conflicting work or caring responsibilities. Health inequalities mean women who are from ethnic minorities, living in deprivation or with disabilities, are more likely to face barriers that make it less likely they will attend breast screening.  

Breast Cancer Now welcomes the publication of the new Breast Screening Programme Uptake Improvement Review, which we’ve been calling for since the original improvement plan was developed.

We are ready to support the Government in implementing changes that can improve access and tackle inequalities in screening uptake, in order to achieve their aim of reducing disparities in early diagnosis, as set out in the new Cancer Plan.

The charity wants to work with the UK Government to reach the achievable target of 80% screening uptake level and ensure that everyone diagnosed with breast cancer has an equal opportunity to live and to live well.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

1. Screening uptake for first time invitations has not reached 70% since the creation of the modern NHS breast screening programme. The data shows that 89.8% of first-time invitees in 2024/25 were aged 50-54, however a smaller number of women will be invited to routine screening for the first time at an older age – for example if they were not previously registered with a GP – or before they turn 50 – for example if they were offered earlier screening as part of the AgeX trial, or they were invited aged 49 but in the year of their 50^th  birthday. Source, NHS breast screening uptake among invited women aged 50-<71, first invitation .
2. Breast screening is the most effective way to detect cancer at an early stage when treatment is most likely to succeed; with more than 85% of screen-detected breast cancers found early. ; Source, Cancer Research UK, Early Diagnosis Data Hub.  In England, around 98% of women who have breast cancer diagnosed at the earliest stage (stage 1) will survive for five years or more. This figure drops dramatically to around 27% for women who are first diagnosed at stage 4; Source, NHS Digital (2023) Cancer Survival in England
3. In addition to a 70% minimum uptake standard for breast cancer screening, the NHS has an ‘achievable’ standard of 80% uptake.  Breast Cancer Now estimates that if screening uptake levels had reached the achievable target of 80% in 2024/25, over a quarter of a million (259,519) more women would have undergone routine screening, and an estimated additional 2,228 breast cancers would have been found.  This is calculated by applying the rate of cancers detected per 1,000 women screened from the 50>71 cohort (this published figure includes short term recall invitations and self/GP referrals), to the number of women screened from first and all routine invitations in the 50>71 cohort. Uptake adjusted to the achievable level of 80%.  Source: NHS Breast Screening Programme, England 2024-25 (NHS Digital). 
4. In 2024, Breast Cancer Now campaigned for a breast screening awareness campaign to encourage everyone who is invited to attend their appointment. As a result the NHS launched its first-ever national breast screening campaign in February 2025, and we worked closely with NHSE to support its roll out.