Independent review of breast cancer screening

Following concerns over the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening, national cancer director Professor Mike Richards has announced an independent review.

Evidence from the Nordic Cochrane Centre suggests the harms of breast screening – because of unnecessary treatment for women whose cancers may never become life-threatening – could outweigh the benefits. Balanced information is not always readily available to women, the evidence suggests.

Professor Susan Bewley, consultant obstetrician at King’s College London, wrote an open letter to Prof Richards urging a review on the screening programme.

Prof Bewley said she found that NHS leaflets “exaggerated benefits and did not spell out the risks”. She adds: “The oft repeated statement that ‘1,400 lives a year are saved’ has not been subjected to proper scrutiny. In the past few years, British women have not been told about the genuine doubts.

“I support the calls for an independent review of the evidence – a review that will not be kicked into the long grass, whose findings will be widely and properly disseminated, and that will adjust screening policy appropriately and will lead to proper pursuit of the research implications.”

Prof Richards, in his written reply, says that he believes screening programmes should be based on the best available evidence, which currently suggests that breast screening saves lives and the benefits considerably outweigh the harms.  

He said: “The ongoing controversy should, if at all possible, be resolved. I hope this reassures you that I take the current controversy very seriously.

“Should the independent review conclude that the balance of harms outweighs the benefits of breast screening, I will have no hesitation in referring the findings to the National Screening Committee and then ministers. You also have my assurance that I am fully committed to the public being given information in a format that they find acceptable and understandable and that enables them to make truly informed choices.”

A new process for developing written information for the public about each screening programme is now being established.