Health Column: Importance of attending your breast screening appointment

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Janet Ellison, Cancer Screening Improvement Lead, South Lancashire Breast Screening Team

Currently in the UK, one in seven women will be affected by breast cancer during their lifetime. The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites all women aged between 50 and 71 for breast screening every three years, however, despite breast screening being free, fast and easily accessible, in certain areas of Greater Manchester fewer than half of invited women attend their breast screening appointments.

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As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are encouraging all women who are invited to take up the offer and make that potentially life-saving appointment. Some women are put off from attending their first screening appointment for fear that mammograms are painful and unnecessary. While some discomfort may be experienced during the procedure, it is typically brief and is far outweighed by the benefits of early detection.

When you arrive for your screening, trained Mammographers will guide you through the procedure. Mammographers are always female, and they will ask you to undress your top half of clothing. You will stand in front of the mammography machine where the Mammographer will position your breast between two plates and apply pressure for a few seconds while taking images. The breast screening test uses low-energy X-rays to create images of the breast tissue.

WWL's Breast Screening Team at the Thomas Linacre Centre, October 2024WWL's Breast Screening Team at the Thomas Linacre Centre, October 2024
WWL's Breast Screening Team at the Thomas Linacre Centre, October 2024

Screening results typically arrive within two weeks, offering peace of mind or prompting a follow-up if needed. By understanding what happens during this appointment, fears can be alleviated, and women can feel more empowered to prioritise their health without hesitation.

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We know there can be access barriers, such as language and cultural differences, which can make it difficult for people to seek help or fully understand the screening process. There is plenty of accessible information to help women across the WWL and South Lancashire Breast Screening area make an informed choice about attending their appointment. This can all be accessed via the NHS.net website, or patients can contact their local breast screening service for more information.

For many women, the NHS Breast Screening programme offers a crucial opportunity for early detection of breast cancer. With such advancements in medical technology and a growing understanding of breast cancer, these appointments can offer peace of mind and potentially lifesaving benefits.

WWL is also leading the way in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance breast cancer diagnosis. We were among the first to implement a service evaluation utilizing AI for interpreting mammograms in breast screening. Ongoing AI trials are furthering this initiative, positioning WWL as an important contributor to the future of AI applications in breast screening.

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In the year 2023-24, 29,546 women were screened by the South Lancashire Breast Screening Service based at WWL. There are still three in 10 women who fail to attend screening invites, but work is ongoing to try and change this ratio and to help women understand that an early diagnosis can save lives.

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