Lower the age of breast cancer screening in Scotland - “Better screened than sorry”
The Issue
Campaigning to lower the age of cancer screening @screenyounger
“Better screened than sorry”
We all know how crucial it is to catch cancers early and treat them quickly.
Diagnosing cancer starts with us; we know we should check our bodies for lumps and changes and report them to our doctors. We cannot all be experts and so we rely on our hard-working health service to screen for common cancers, to be proactive and help us stay healthy.
Cancer continues to rise in Scotland and 2 in 5 people will develop a cancer in their lifetime. 4500 people every year in Scotland are diagnosed with breast cancer with around 20% being under the age of 50. So why do we not screen from a younger age? Why wait?
When the UK introduced breast screening in 1988 for all women aged between 50 – 74, the UK was at the forefront of preventative medicine as one of the first in the world to introduce such a screening programme. The world has changed, in 1988 a 1st time mother in the UK was 25.3yrs and by 2019 this age has risen to 31yrs. So why has the approach to screening for early detection of breast cancer not changed? As more children are at risk of losing a parent early now. Other screening programmes have changed, such as cervical cancer, but why not breast cancer?
Let me tell you my story.
2020 was a rollercoaster for everyone as COVID-19 took hold. I could not guess that my personal rollercoaster was just beginning. On the 19th of March 2021 out the blue, after a routine visit to my GP to check a lump near my breast and despite being assured by my GP and a consultant that I had a cyst that needed drained...bang... I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I am a 48-year-old woman with a young child of 7 years. I have a family history of breast cancer and have always been conscious to check myself.
But there is no regular breast screening for woman in Scotland before the age of 50. Without my checking and a sixth sense to speak with my doctor, my cancer would have gone undiagnosed. In England there is a screening extension being trialled which begins at age 47. However, in Scotland, the government deems a programme too expensive to start at an earlier age. This is more than a devolved discrepancy.
This highlights a fundamental failing by Scottish governments and their health advisors to tackle breast cancer prevention from a young age. My aim is to have a comprehensive biennial screening programme for all women from age 45, for those at a higher risk I propose a lower age of 35, in line with the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer recommendation.
A preventative screening programme is more cost effective and leaves fewer young women having to fight breast cancer beyond stage I when the survival rates start to drop.
I am in awe of the NHS. In only 3 weeks I have received 3 biopsies, 2 MRI scans, an ECG, CT Scan, heart fracture scan, heart MRI and around half a dozen blood tests. Then of course the vaccinations of COVID, influenza and pneumonia. Hair cut off and wig at the ready, all courtesy of the NHS! My treatment continues with chemo now and I am confident that I will be cured.
My treatment plan will exceed £20,000 assuming there are no unforeseen issues, the average cost of a mammogram at a private clinic is £225 - £250.
Having researched the cost of cancer treatment annually to the UK economy stands at over £248 million according to a recent study published by the BMJ published in Jan 2021 titled - Societal costs of chemotherapy in the UK: an incidence-based cost-of-illness model for early breast cancer.
Early screening will save lives as the survival rate of pre cancer and stage I breast cancer is 100% while reducing the costs to the NHS as less treatment is required. I do not want any woman to have to wait to be diagnosed; to have to wait to find out by accident like I did and risk finding out too late.
Please, sign my petition and join us leading Scotland into a progressive approach to preventative health care at a fraction of the cost both financially and emotionally of the current out of date system.
Let's get government to redeploy resources and funds into making sure younger women with breast cancer live, we only need 10,000 names.
45,815
The Issue
Campaigning to lower the age of cancer screening @screenyounger
“Better screened than sorry”
We all know how crucial it is to catch cancers early and treat them quickly.
Diagnosing cancer starts with us; we know we should check our bodies for lumps and changes and report them to our doctors. We cannot all be experts and so we rely on our hard-working health service to screen for common cancers, to be proactive and help us stay healthy.
Cancer continues to rise in Scotland and 2 in 5 people will develop a cancer in their lifetime. 4500 people every year in Scotland are diagnosed with breast cancer with around 20% being under the age of 50. So why do we not screen from a younger age? Why wait?
When the UK introduced breast screening in 1988 for all women aged between 50 – 74, the UK was at the forefront of preventative medicine as one of the first in the world to introduce such a screening programme. The world has changed, in 1988 a 1st time mother in the UK was 25.3yrs and by 2019 this age has risen to 31yrs. So why has the approach to screening for early detection of breast cancer not changed? As more children are at risk of losing a parent early now. Other screening programmes have changed, such as cervical cancer, but why not breast cancer?
Let me tell you my story.
2020 was a rollercoaster for everyone as COVID-19 took hold. I could not guess that my personal rollercoaster was just beginning. On the 19th of March 2021 out the blue, after a routine visit to my GP to check a lump near my breast and despite being assured by my GP and a consultant that I had a cyst that needed drained...bang... I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I am a 48-year-old woman with a young child of 7 years. I have a family history of breast cancer and have always been conscious to check myself.
But there is no regular breast screening for woman in Scotland before the age of 50. Without my checking and a sixth sense to speak with my doctor, my cancer would have gone undiagnosed. In England there is a screening extension being trialled which begins at age 47. However, in Scotland, the government deems a programme too expensive to start at an earlier age. This is more than a devolved discrepancy.
This highlights a fundamental failing by Scottish governments and their health advisors to tackle breast cancer prevention from a young age. My aim is to have a comprehensive biennial screening programme for all women from age 45, for those at a higher risk I propose a lower age of 35, in line with the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer recommendation.
A preventative screening programme is more cost effective and leaves fewer young women having to fight breast cancer beyond stage I when the survival rates start to drop.
I am in awe of the NHS. In only 3 weeks I have received 3 biopsies, 2 MRI scans, an ECG, CT Scan, heart fracture scan, heart MRI and around half a dozen blood tests. Then of course the vaccinations of COVID, influenza and pneumonia. Hair cut off and wig at the ready, all courtesy of the NHS! My treatment continues with chemo now and I am confident that I will be cured.
My treatment plan will exceed £20,000 assuming there are no unforeseen issues, the average cost of a mammogram at a private clinic is £225 - £250.
Having researched the cost of cancer treatment annually to the UK economy stands at over £248 million according to a recent study published by the BMJ published in Jan 2021 titled - Societal costs of chemotherapy in the UK: an incidence-based cost-of-illness model for early breast cancer.
Early screening will save lives as the survival rate of pre cancer and stage I breast cancer is 100% while reducing the costs to the NHS as less treatment is required. I do not want any woman to have to wait to be diagnosed; to have to wait to find out by accident like I did and risk finding out too late.
Please, sign my petition and join us leading Scotland into a progressive approach to preventative health care at a fraction of the cost both financially and emotionally of the current out of date system.
Let's get government to redeploy resources and funds into making sure younger women with breast cancer live, we only need 10,000 names.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 10 May 2021