Hundreds of thousands
more women attended NHS breast screening last year and thousands
more cancers were diagnosed early in England.
New figures today show that in 2024/25, 1.94 million women aged
50 to 70 attended screening within six months of invitation – up
nearly 200,000 (193,745) from 1.75 million the previous
year.
As a result, nearly 20,000 cancers (19,291) were detected – 9
cases in every 1,000 women screened – which is up almost 16% on
the previous year, when 16,677 cancers were diagnosed through NHS
breast screening.
This means thousands more women were able to access treatment
earlier, when there are more options available and treatment is
more likely to be effective.
Encouragingly, attendance among women invited for screening for
the first time reached 63.6% – the highest level in a decade –
with 4.79 million eligible women now up to date with their breast
screening – also a ten-year high.
Overall, around 71.8% of eligible women are now up to date with
screening under the programme's three-year standard, up 1.8
percentage points on last year.
Despite this progress, the latest statistics from the NHS Breast
Screening Programme show that around three in ten women did not
take up the offer of screening.
Local screening services are working with NHS England to improve
uptake, including targeted outreach in lower-attending areas,
reminder texts and expanded use of mobile screening units to
bring services closer to home.
The NHS also launched its first-ever national breast
screening campaign in February last year to support even
more women to come forward.
Backed by charities including Breast Cancer Now, the campaign
featured public figures including Victoria Derbyshire, Julia
Bradbury and Shirley Ballas who all shared personal messages to
encourage women to attend.
During the campaign period, the NHS saw a huge increase in people
accessing information online, with tens of thousands of women
visiting NHS breast screening pages in a single week and clicks
to the screening service finder rising sharply.
Dr Harrison Carter, Director of Screening at NHS England,
said: “Breast screening can save lives. With
nearly 20,000 cancers detected early through screening last year,
it's encouraging to see more women attending, especially those
invited for the first time, because making screening a habit can
help protect your health for years to come.”
“But we know there are a range of reasons why some women don't
come forward and there is much more still to do to support more
women to access breast screening. If you receive an invitation,
please don't ignore it. It's an appointment that could save your
life.”
Philomena, whose breast cancer was detected through
routine screening, said she nearly ignored her invitation before
deciding to attend: “Encouraging women to attend
their breast screening appointment is something that I am
extremely passionate about, as I know how much it matters. I've
lost friends who might still be here if their cancer had been
found earlier, and I very nearly ignored my own screening
invitation, too. At the time, I didn't want to disrupt a new job
I loved, but that small delay could have cost me everything.
"When I finally went for my mammogram, it led to the early
detection of stage 2 breast cancer. Hearing those words was
devastating, but catching it early meant I had a fighting chance.
Treatment was challenging, but it gave me my life back, and it
strengthened my commitment to raising awareness about the
importance of breast screening in my community.
"Screening is quick, free, and could be the difference between
catching cancer early or too late. Please make the time for your
appointment. Prioritising your health isn't selfish - it's
essential. My screening saved my life, and it could save yours
too.”
Women aged 50 up to the age of 71 are invited for breast
screening every three years, with appointments provided locally
through clinics and mobile units.
Breast screening does have some risks. Some women who have
screening will be diagnosed and treated for slow-growing breast
cancers that may never otherwise have been found or caused them
harm. Mammograms also do not always find a cancer that is there,
but most people feel the benefits of breast screening outweigh
the possible risks.
Notes to
editors:
• Three-year screening
coverage (women screened within 36 months): 71.8%, up 1.8
percentage points on 2023/24.
• Overall uptake (aged
50–70): 70.6%, up from 70.0% last year.
• Invitations issued:
2.75 million (around 10% increase).
• Women screened
(routine programme): 1.94 million women aged 50–70 attended
screening within six months of invitation, up from 1.75 million
the previous year.
• Overall screening
activity: 2.15 million women aged 45+ were screened in 2024/25, a
10.3% increase on 2023/24.
• Cancers detected
through screening: 19,291 (rate of 9.0 per 1,000 screened).
• First-invite uptake:
63.6%, the highest level in 10 years.
• Following the
national campaign launch, NHS breast screening advice pages
recorded more than 32,000 visits in one week, a 145% increase.
• All figures relate to
the 2024/25 NHS Breast Screening Programme annual statistics.
