How breast screening can help prevent breast cancer
Breast screening uses X-rays called mammograms to check your breasts for signs of cancer.
Regular breast screening is one of the best ways to spot a cancer that is too small to feel or see.
Finding cancer early can make it:
- more likely that treatment will be successful
- less likely you'll need to have a breast removed (mastectomy)
You can have breast screening whatever size or shape your breasts are.
Checking your breasts
As well as having regular breast screening, it's important you know how your breasts normally look and feel. Cancer can develop between mammograms.
If you notice any changes in your breasts that are not normal for you, see a GP straight away.
Find out how to check your breasts.
Who can get breast cancer
Anyone can get breast cancer. This includes women, men, trans and non-binary people.
It's the most common type of cancer in the UK.
The chance of getting breast cancer increases as you get older. Most breast cancers are diagnosed in women over 50 years old.
Find out more about:
If you're more likely to get breast cancer
Some people are more likely to get breast cancer. This is sometimes called moderate risk or high risk.
You may have a higher chance of getting breast cancer if you have:
- several close relatives who have had breast cancer or ovarian cancer or both
- a change in a gene (mutation) that makes you more likely to get breast cancer – these include BRCA1, BRCA2 or TP53
- dense breast tissue
Find out more about genetic tests to check your cancer risk.
Risks of breast screening
Doctors cannot always tell if cancer will go on to be life-threatening or not. So treatment is always offered if you're diagnosed with breast cancer.
This means some cancers that are diagnosed and treated would not have been life-threatening. Treatment of non life-threatening cancers is the main risk of breast screening.
Other risks of breast screening include:
- cancer being missed – mammograms do not always find a cancer that is there
- X-rays – having a mammogram every 3 years for 20 years gives you a very slightly higher chance of getting cancer over your lifetime because of the small amount of radiation you’re exposed to during mammograms
Most people feel the benefits of breast screening outweigh the possible risks.
What to do if you do not want breast screening
It's your choice if you want to have breast screening. Screening does not stop you getting breast cancer, but it is the best way to spot cancers at an early stage.
If you do not want to be invited for screening, contact a GP or your local breast screening service and ask to be taken off the breast screening list.
You can ask them to put you back on the list at any time if you change your mind.