Prime Minister Backs Call for Earlier Cancer Detection

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has voiced strong backing for discussions aimed at lowering the age for breast cancer screenings, emphasizing the critical role of early diagnosis. This support follows concerns raised by Gemma's initiative and statistics from Cancer Research UK indicating a significant rise in breast cancer cases among younger women.

Cancer Research UK data reveals a 14.4% increase in female breast cancer cases for those aged 25 to 49 between 1993-1995 and 2018-2021. Gemma's online petition, pushing for this change, has collected over 70,000 signatures, inching closer to the 100,000 threshold required for parliamentary consideration.

While Gemma highlights an observed increase in younger patients diagnosed at later stages, some medical professionals express caution. Dr. Gareth Nye notes potential issues with false positives and the higher density of breast tissue in younger women, which can reduce mammogram accuracy and necessitate more invasive tests.

Despite these challenges, Gemma insists that the risk of advanced cancer outweighs the costs of additional screening procedures. The Department of Health and Social Care has stated it does not currently intend to lower the screening age, following advice from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). However, the UK NSC is reviewing new trial findings that explore extending screening to younger age groups.

The UK NSC is also re-evaluating evidence on additional screening for women with dense breast tissue. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Social Care is pursuing other initiatives, including AI trials for mammogram analysis and efforts to reduce cancer waiting times, aiming to diagnose more cases promptly.