Breast Screening
Breast screening after age 70
The incidence of breast cancer increases with age, about 8 out of 10 cases of breast cancer occur in women over 50 (NHS Choices 2015). The risk of developing breast cancer continues to rise as women get older.
The NHS Breast Screening Programme, set up in 1988, now invites all women in the UK between 50 and 70 for free breast screening every three years. In some areas, women aged 47 to 49 and 71 to 73 receive invitations for screening. This is part of a study looking at whether to extend the breast screening age range. Although women over 73 are not routinely invited for breast screening, they are encouraged to call the local unit to request breast screening every three years. Women are given cards at their last routine breast screening appointment to help them remember (for more information see Resources).
Some older women we spoke with attended routine mammograms every three years. A 75-year-old said she asked to be routinely invited after the age of 70 because women were still at risk of getting breast cancer and any breast problems would be detected and treated early. One 72-year-old woman, who wasn't sure when routine invitations stopped, said she'd continue having mammograms especially because she'd been recalled on one occasion. For her, this stressed the importance of attending. Another woman, aged 69, said that she'd always attended for breast screening in case there were any breast problems, and would continue attending as long as she was fit.
She chooses to have breast screening after 70 because women are still at risk of getting breast cancer.
She chooses to have breast screening after 70 because women are still at risk of getting breast cancer.
Well when I did ring them up because the centre is on the Rope Walk here and I said I would like to continue the screening, perhaps at 65 I can't really remember when I had the last regular one. I think they said 'Well there won't be any more after you're 65', or 70, I really can't remember, I think it might have been 65.
It used to be 64.
Something like that. She says 'Well you can be on a list where we will call you if you request it?' So I said 'Yes, I'd like that, I'd like to come back regularly and just be screened.' You can get this horrible thing at any age, I don't see why they stop then, I suppose its money and time and all the rest of it. But anyway I think they do call me back now. And I still say 'Please will you recall me, you know every three years for continuous screening.'
But I haven't, touch wood, had any problems, but I do still go. And I request to go. I think people over 70 need to request a recall every three years isn't it? Because I think it's important, I think its extremely important to get these things seen to in the early stages with everything, every illness.
She always attends for breast screening and will continue to do so until she's no longer fit enough.
She always attends for breast screening and will continue to do so until she's no longer fit enough.
Yes. If you want to, you can go again?
Yeah, yeah.
So you would want to keep on going?
Oh yeah as long as you can go because I mean it don't matter how old you are really, I still think you're, you ought to go. Unless I got to that stage where I couldn't go [laughs] I got too old then probably you know. But I will go, yeah.
They gave me a green card this time, August 2003 and then it's got August 2006.
Is that your next appointment?
Yeah I think I've got to ring them up. But then when I got this letter it was saying something and that's when I rang up and I couldn't get through to anybody. But I might ring it up again and just say well they're not going to write to you, that's all it is, but I want to know when you've got to ring them up about it.
So even though you're 70 you want to carry on?
That's it, yeah
And have mammograms every three years?
Yeah, yeah.
Why do you want to carry on?
Well in case there is anything any time [laughs].
Many women didn't know how long they would be routinely invited for breast screening and several were confused about it. One woman said she was very pleased to learn that women over 70 were still eligible for free mammograms and felt that this should be made clearer. Some other women in their 50s and early 60s also said that, after the age of 70, they would want to continue having routine mammograms. Many said it would be reassuring to know they were fit and healthy, and that any breast problems would be detected early (see 'Reasons for attending breast screening'). Some British Chinese women under 70 wanted to continue having routine mammograms every three years but had received no information about screening for some years. They would have liked more information on breast screening and breast cancer in Cantonese (see 'Information').
Some women we spoke to had had breast cancer. One of these encouraged women to go for screening after the age of 73 as older women were still at risk of getting breast cancer. She stressed that mammography was quick and saved lives. Many women who'd had breast cancer said they'd continue having mammograms after they were 73 and until they were no longer fit enough to do so. Some, who'd had routine mammograms done privately, said they'd continue to be screened privately after they were 70 (now 73). One woman who'd had breast cancer said she'd have routine mammograms after the age of 70 if her doctors advised it, and would be reassured by having regular breast screening.
She encourages women to attend for screening after 70 as they are still at risk of getting breast cancer.
She encourages women to attend for screening after 70 as they are still at risk of getting breast cancer.
At the moment I think the ceiling is 60 for mammograms but that is now being extended to 70. But if it hasn't in your area yet reached 70, there will be a number that you can get from NHS Direct where you can phone and refer yourself if you are over 60. If you're over 70 and you can still do that because some ladies think that because after, because the mammograms stop at 60 or 70 they're no longer at risk. But, unfortunately, the older you get the more at risk you are so because you're 70 don't think you're not at risk. So please, take these mammograms, it's only a few minutes pressure on your breast. It's only 10 minutes to go through the whole process and it's a life-saver and it could save you so much grief so please, please do have it.
She'd have routine screening after 70 if her doctors advised her to and says that it would be...
She'd have routine screening after 70 if her doctors advised her to and says that it would be...
If they say it's up to you after the age of 70 whether you want to go for 3 yearly mammograms or not, would you want to continue?
Oh, probably. I think there's probably that prop needed that says, you know, just like that little bit of reassurance that....
Some women were unsure whether they'd attend for routine screening after they were 70. Several said they probably would as long as they were still fit and healthy. A few said they would check with their GP first, while others felt they wouldn't attend if they'd had no breast problems up until then, but stressed that it was still important to be breast aware. One of them wondered if breast cancer developed more slowly after the age of 70. Several women felt that after the age of 70 other health problems were more likely to affect them than breast cancer.
She wouldn't attend for screening after 70 if she's had no breast problems before then.
She wouldn't attend for screening after 70 if she's had no breast problems before then.
Yes. Yes.
And you will be invited up until the age of 70 now?
Yeah.
After the age of 70 it's up to you whether you would want to go. In your case, would you want to go, or'?
I probably wouldn't. I probably wouldn't no. If I had not any problems up until 70, which is now another ten years, another three goes I suppose, I don't think after 70 I would, no.
OK. And your reasons for that would be you've been fine up until then?
I've been fine up until then, I understand, I'm not sure if this is fact, but the older you get the slower the development and growth rate of these things are. So I would probably continue to do self-checks, but I, and I think that I would just leave it at that.
Last reviewed March 2016.
Last updated March 2016.
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