70 somethings miss screening

Friday May 14th, 2010

Most British women over the age of 70 would like to continue attending regular breast-screening - but do not realise they are able to do so, researchers warned yesterday.

After the age of 70, British women no longer receive regular invitations to screening.

A survey of 400 women, reported in the British Journal of Cancer, found that most did not attend screening after they reached 70 - but more than 50 per cent did not know they could continue with regular mammography tests.

Just 20 per cent of the women said they did not want more screening tests.

Researcher Lynda Wylde, a surgeon at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, said: "We need to make information about screening clear and readily available for women over 70, so that they can make an informed choice.

"It's clear from our results that older women want to have the power to make informed decisions about whether to attend screening."

And Sarah Woolnough, of Cancer Research UK, called for health professionals to ensure women know they can continue to ask for mammograms.

She said: "We believe that more must be done by governments, the health service and charities to ensure that older women are well informed about their risk of breast cancer, the screening programme and the treatment options available to them."

Collins, K., et al. The views of older women towards mammographic screening: a qualitative and quantitative study, (2010). British Journal of Cancer

Tags: Cancer | Geriatric Health | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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