Number of women attending Lanarkshire breast cancer screenings at highest ever level

The number of women attending breast cancer screening appointments is at the highest ever level across Lanarkshire.More than three in four women across the NHS Lanarkshire area (75.1 percent) took up their screening invitations over the three-year period 2020 to 2023, Scottish breast screening programme statistics indicate.This is an increase on the previous three-year period (2019-22) when uptake in the NHS Lanarkshire health board was 72.5 percent, and pre-pandemic (2017-20), when uptake was 71.7 percent.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Breast screening is offered to women aged 50 to 70, approximately every 36 months.Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey has welcomed the statistics, and has encouraged more women to participate in breast screening programmes when invited to do so.Ms Haughey said: “Regular breast screening is one of the best ways to spot a growth that is too small to feel or see, and it plays a vital role in finding breast cancers early – when treatment has the best chance of success.“The current evidence suggests that breast screening reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer by about 1300 a year in the UK.“I therefore welcome these new statistics which show that more local women are attending breast screening appointments than ever before.“However, the statistics also show that