Understanding screening is an important factor of breast awareness. Here, nurses from the Breast Cancer Care team answer women's most common concerns about screening
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51 and not had a mammogram
38 and worried about getting breast cancer
Concerned about call back for further screening
Micro-calcifications found in my breasts
Will my 72-year-old mother be sent for screening?
I have had cosmetic implants in both breasts
Question
I am 51 and have not had a mammogram. I thought the NHS screened all women over 50?
Answer
The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites all women between the ages of 50 and 70 to attend for a mammogram. The names of eligible women are taken from GPs' lists every three years so the next time they make a list you should be invited for screening. This should happen within three years of you turning 50.
Meanwhile it is important to be breast aware. This means knowing how your breasts look and feel normally and reporting any changes promptly to your GP.
Question
I am 38 and worried about getting breast cancer but have been told only women over 50 are screened. Why is this and is there anywhere I can go for screening?
Answer
Women under 50 are not routinely screened for breast cancer for two reasons. Firstly because the density of younger women's breast tissue means that mammograms are less effective, making it more difficult to detect problems. Secondly because the incidence of breast cancer is much lower in women under 50, which is the average age of the menopause in the UK.
Breast cancer is far more common in women who have been through the menopause and the risk continues to increase with age. When the breast-screening programme was originally set up, the age range of the women to be screened (50-70) was based on research done into screening and the fact that the majority of breast cancers affect women over the age of 50.
Although you are not eligible for screening, it is important to be breast aware. This means knowing how your breasts look and feel normally and reporting any changes promptly to your GP.
Published with kind permission from Breast Cancer Care
Question
I went for routine screening last week and have received a letter asking me to go back for further screening. I am really worried and want to know what this means.
Answer
Around five to eight per cent of women who go for screening will be asked to go back for a further mammogram. This is usually to check or clarify an area seen on the first picture. You may find it reassuring to know that of the women asked to go back only around one in eight will be found to have breast cancer. However, it is important to attend the appointment.
Question
I had a mammogram two weeks ago and was told I have 'micro-calcifications'. What does this mean?
Answer
Micro-calcifications are small deposits of calcium salts. They develop naturally as the breast ages and changes. They are very small and cannot be felt, which is why they were first noticed on your mammogram, as they show up as white spots. Calcifications are very common and in most cases are harmless. Occasionally, however, they can be a sign of breast cancer. Micro-calcifications that are scattered throughout the breast are more likely to represent a benign (non-cancerous) deposit.
Question
My mother is 72 and wants to know if she will still be sent for screening?
Answer
Your mother will not routinely be invited for screening but she is still entitled to free breast screening every three years. She can either ask her GP or practice nurse to arrange an appointment or contact the local breast-screening unit herself.
Question
I have had cosmetic implants in both breasts. Will I be able to have mammograms?
Answer
You will still be able to have mammograms but because the implants can hide some of the actual breast tissue, a different technique may be used. This should allow as much of the breasts as possible to be seen on the mammogram making the screening as effective as possible in your situation.
Published with kind permission from Breast Cancer Care