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More than 50,000 women miss breast cancer screening

More than 53,000 women in the Black Country missed their last screening for breast cancer, NHS figures reveal.

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Thousands of women are missing breast cancer screenings

Women are invited for a breast screening every three years between the ages of 50 and 70, to help catch cancer early.

But new statistics show the proportion of women accepting the invitation has declined across England over the last decade.

Only two-thirds of women - 66 per cent - due a screening in the three years to the end of last March took up the offer.

This means 53,271 women were not up to date with their checks.

Across South Staffordshire, Stafford and Cannock Chase another 9,373 did not get screened. Take up here was slightly higher, at 76 per cent.

The data shows how many eligible women were checked at least once in the three-year period, meaning some women could be years overdue.

Across England, 71.6 per cent of women eligible for screening attended their last check.

Of those who were sent an invitation in 2018/19 across England, just 71.1 per cent had attended within six months of their invite, according to NHS Digital.

This was up slightly from the previous year, which had the lowest attendance rate since the current screening programme began in 2007.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of charity Breast Cancer Now, said: "It's promising that uptake of breast screening in England has improved slightly after reaching a decade-low last year and we hope this now continues.

"But screening uptake is still barely above the minimum target, with hundreds of thousands of women across the country not attending.

"While screening comes with some risks to be aware of, we'd encourage all women to attend their appointments when invited."

The breast screening programme uses an X-ray test called a mammogram to detect tumours before they are large enough to feel. Detecting the disease early on gives a better chance of survival.

Dr Anne Mackie, director of screening at Public Health England, said it was "good to see" that uptake has risen for the first time in three years.

She continued: "While screening is a personal choice, we are analysing the barriers that deter some groups of women, to help the NHS improve overall numbers getting screened."

A spokeswoman for the NHS said: "Breast cancer survival is at a record high in England with deaths falling faster than anywhere else in Europe, thanks to earlier detection and advances in treatment.

"It is vital that women attend their test and the NHS is looking at ways to boost uptake, including by making appointments more convenient, as set out by Professor Sir Mike Richards in his recent review of screening services."