Psychological considerations in attending for mammography screening

Abstract

The UK NHS Breast Screening Programme has set a national minimum rate for uptake of routine invitations at 70 % [1]. In 2012–2013, 2.32 million women aged 50–70 were invited to attend for a routine mammogram, 72.2 % of whom complied. This represented a further decrease from previous years in which uptake of routine invitations had fallen (73.4 % in 2010–11 and 73.1 % in 2011–12 [1]). Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK [2], with more than 80 % survival 5 years after diagnosis [3]. Screening can help reduce breast cancer mortality [4], so why would 27.8 % of women in 2012–2013 fail to accept an invitation for a routine mammogram which may ultimately help to save their lives?.