Women who skip their first breast cancer screening appointment face a 40% higher risk of dying from the disease, according to a major study from Sweden.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute analysed data from around 500,000 women who were invited to their first mammogram between 1991 and 2020. The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, show that 32% did not attend their initial appointment. Those who missed it were less likely to attend future screenings, more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage, and had higher mortality rates over 25 years.
The study found 9.9 breast cancer deaths per 1,000 women who did not attend the first screening, compared with seven per 1,000 among those who did. However, overall breast cancer incidence was similar, suggesting that late detection, not higher occurrence, explained the difference in survival.
US researchers writing in a linked editorial said the first appointment acts as “a long-term investment in breast health and survival,” even if it doesn’t immediately identify cancer.
In England, women are invited for breast screening between the ages of 50 and 71, with all expected to receive a first invitation by age 53. Latest NHS figures show that 70% of eligible women were up to date as of March 2024 – leaving nearly one in three unscreened.
Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, described the number of missed appointments as “worryingly high” and called for urgent action to make screening more accessible.
The findings come amid forecasts that global cancer deaths will rise by 75% to 18.6m annually by 2050, with lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and high blood sugar accounting for 42% of cases.
In separate research published in Nature, scientists identified a protein (SPP1) linked to the spread of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Blocking the protein in experiments stopped cancer progression and increased survival, raising hopes for new targeted treatments.
