Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the age at which breast screening begins to 30.

Women under the age of 50 years old are not routinely screened for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women under 50 years old tend to have denser breasts. The denseness of breast tissue reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram, the accepted screening test for breast cancer.

However, the UK National Screening Committee keeps the age brackets under review. The committee recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective. There are currently two trials under way that will help inform future decisions relating to breast screening. The AgeX trial is looking at extending the upper and lower age brackets, and BRAID is looking at alternative methods of screening for women with dense breasts. The committee will consider the findings of these trials as they become available.