A parliamentary petition urging a change in NHS England breast cancer screening policy has garnered over 106,000 signatures, forcing a debate in the House of Commons. The petition demands that women be invited for regular mammograms from age 40 instead of the current 50, and that these be conducted annually rather than every three years.
Petition Details
The petition, addressed to the Labour government, states: "Lower the age for when you are first called to 40 and provide funding to carry out Mammograms Annually instead of every Three Years." It emphasises that early detection is crucial and notes a rise in breast cancer among younger patients. The petitioner, a chemotherapy nurse with eight years of experience, wrote: "I have seen a rise in Breast Cancer in Patients under the Age of 40 increase. Early detection is key in identifying those Aggressive forms of Breast Cancer."
Parliamentary Threshold Reached
The petition closed on 8 May 2026 after its six-month run, having secured 106,212 signatures—well above the 100,000 required to be considered for a parliamentary debate. Parliament typically schedules debates for all petitions reaching this milestone. A debate date is awaited within 73 days.
Government Response
In a previous response, the government explained that screening programmes have age limits based on scientific evidence. For women under 50, the risk of breast cancer is lower, and denser breast tissue can reduce mammogram accuracy. The response stated: "Due to this and other factors, there is a risk of over treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer but would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests."
The upcoming debate will consider whether the benefits of earlier and more frequent screening outweigh these potential harms.
