This indicator measures the coverage of the screening programme. For the years of data available, this is the proportion of women aged between 53 and 64 who are resident (excluding those ineligible e.g. those who have had a bilateral mastectomy) who have had a test with a recorded result at least once in the previous 3 years.
This indicator can be used to monitor inequalities in access to breast screening among women aged 53-64. People most at risk of ill health tend to experience the least satisfactory access to the full range of preventive services, including cancer screening programmes. Differences in access are most noticeable amongst socioeconomic groups, although it is likely that additional inequalities are experienced, for example between ethnic groups. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) evaluated the evidence on breast cancer screening in March 2002. IARC concluded that trials have provided sufficient evidence for the efficacy of mammography screening of women between 50 and 69 years, and that the reduction in mortality from breast cancer among women who chose to participate in screening programmes was estimated to be about 35%. One-point-three million women in England were screened in 2002/03, and over 8,500 cancers were detected, of which over 40% were small cancers which could not have been detected by hand. Total breast cancer mortality in England & Wales fell by over 21% between 1990 and 1998. A third of this fall is attributed to breast screening.
Legacy unique identifier: P01033