PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
I am asking the Government to lower the NHS breast screening age from 50 to 40.
We ask the Government and NHS England to: 1. Review the breast screening age limit in light of new evidence; 2. Pilot routine invitations from age 40–49; 3. Ensure that early detection is available to all women, not only those at known high risk.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
6
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 6/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 6/100,000
Background
Each year around 8,000 women age 40–49 in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer.
The UK Breast Screening Age Trial (NIHR, 2020) showed that inviting women 40–49 for annual mammogram reduced breast cancer deaths by 25% in the first 10 years after screening began, with only modest overdiagnosis.
Countries such as the US, Australia and several EU nations already screen from 40. It’s time the UK reviewed its outdated threshold.