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- Susan Bewley, Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Women's Health1,
- Mitzi Blennerhbadett, medical writer2,
- Mandy Payne, independent publisher3
- 1King's College, London, United Kingdom
- 2York, United Kingdom
- 3Rochester, Kent, United Kingdom
- Correspondence to: M Payne mpayne {at} healthwatch-uk.org
Susan Bewley and her colleagues examine the clinical and ethical implications of Public Health England's attempt to expand age limits for bad cancer screening
AgeX is the acronym of the cluster-inspired randomized controlled trial funded by the UK government to expand the age range of bad cancer screening according to the NHS in England. The purpose of the trial is to badess the risks and benefits of extending mammography screening for bad cancer beyond the current age range of 50 to 70 years by providing additional mammography for women aged 47 to 49 years. and from three to less than 70 years old. "Probably the largest randomized controlled trial ever undertaken in the world",1 over the 2010-2016 period, AgeX randomized three million women in the extended age groups and examined one million.2
Concerns were expressed about the adequacy of information on the benefits and risks offered to women in the study, which poses a risk of surgical and other harm to participants. Women learn their inclusion in research through a letter with a pre-booked screening appointment. We highlight the probable surgical burden for women aged 47 to 49 and consider whether extending bad screening is still appropriate, as the accumulation of evidence challenges its perceived benefits.
Breast Cancer Screening Policy and Controversy
Mammography screening aims to detect bad cancer before a mbad is palpable, allowing treatment to begin earlier.3 The current UK screening program, launched in 1988, offers a triennial mammogram to all women aged 50 to 70 years. Of the 2.85 million women invited in 2015-2016, 75% participated. Like programs around the world, the age range of screening was defined based on when mammography is most effective at detecting bad tumors.
The program is estimated to prevent 1,300 bad cancer deaths each year.4 But evidence suggests improvements in bad cancer survival rates since the introduction of mbad screening …
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