Missed appointment linked to increased risk of breast cancer death
Urgent breast cancer warning issued following new study
- New research reveals that women who miss their initial breast cancer screening appointment face a 40 per cent higher lifetime mortality risk from the disease.
- The study, published in the British Medical Journal, analysed data from nearly half a million women in Sweden over a 25-year period.
- It found that 32 per cent of women did not attend their first mammogram, leading to a greater likelihood of advanced stage diagnoses and increased mortality due to delayed detection.
- Those who missed their first screening were also less inclined to attend subsequent appointments, underscoring the critical importance of the initial check-up.
- Breast Cancer Now is urging UK governments to enhance screening accessibility and strive for an 80 per cent uptake target to ensure more early diagnoses and save lives.