Breast cancer fears - "Get Screened!"

by LotusFlower | January 4, 2009 at 01:28 am

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A rise in deaths due to breast cancer in the UK is feared as less women are taking up the offer offer of free NHS breast cancer screening.

Women leading busy lives coupled with fear has seen rates of take up of first time screening offers fall to below 70% causing real worries that this will result in more deaths due to breast cancer.

As the New Year kicks in doctors and health workers are urging women to make 2009 the year to take up that offer offer of screening - it could save your life.

A worrying drop in women attending breast screenings is putting lives at risk, doctors have warned.

After 20 years in which the NHS breast screening programme is estimated to have detected more than 100,000 cancers, the number of women accepting their first invitation for screening has fallen below 70 per cent for the first time. A spokeswoman for the NHS Cancer Screening Service said one reason was the "inconvenience" of screening.

"Busy women put off going because the clinic is difficult to get to or the timing of appointments does not fit their lives. They don't have time," she said.