Charity Urges Risk-Based Breast Screening After Rise in Under-50 Diagnoses

Overview

• CoppaFeel! published a report on June 24 calling for a seven-minute risk assessment in GP appointments to find people under 50 who may need earlier or more frequent breast screening.
• The charity’s analysis says breast cancer cases rose about 5% in 25–49 year olds from 2022 to 2023 and that diagnoses in under-30s climbed 78% between 2001 and 2019.
• CoppaFeel! warns younger patients are more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage and says some symptomatic younger people are routinely dismissed by health professionals.
• The NHS currently invites people for routine mammograms from age 50 to 71 and the Department of Health and Social Care has pledged personalised cancer plans from 2026 and to remove age-based trial barriers without immediately changing screening age rules.
• If adopted, the charity’s proposals — a quick risk check, built-in breast awareness in routine care, and trial quotas for under-50s — could shift who is offered screening and increase younger patients’ access to diagnosis and new treatments.