What are the current guidelines for breast cancer screening in women aged 50-70 in the UK?

Breast cancer screening guidelines for women aged 50 to 70 years in the United Kingdom recommend offering mammographic surveillance as part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Specifically, women aged 50 to 69 years with no personal history of breast cancer and at moderate or high risk (but with a 30% or lower probability of being a BRCA or TP53 carrier) should be offered mammography as part of the population screening programme.

Annual mammographic surveillance is recommended for women aged 50 to 59 years at moderate risk or high risk (with certain genetic considerations), and mammography continues as part of the population screening programme for women aged 60 to 69 years.

For women aged 70 years and over with a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation or a personal history of breast cancer who remain at high risk (excluding those with TP53 mutations), mammography as part of the population screening programme is also advised.

MRI surveillance is generally not offered to women aged 50 years and over unless they have a TP53 mutation or mammography shows a dense breast pattern.

Women should be given written information about the benefits and risks of surveillance, including the possibility of missed cancers in dense breasts, overdiagnosis, radiation risks, and psychological impacts of recall visits.

Surveillance should be conducted to national breast screening programme standards and audited accordingly.