Petition

Fund routine breast cancer screening from age 40 – early detection saves lives.

Rejected 12 signatures

What the petition asks

We want the government to lower the age of routine breast cancer screening in England from 50 to 40. The NHS Breast Screening Programme should offer regular mammograms to all women aged 40 and over to improve early detection and reduce late-stage diagnoses.
Thousands of women under 50 are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. Many are caught late because they fall outside the current NHS screening age range of 50–71.

Early detection saves lives, reduces the need for aggressive treatments such as mastectomy and chemotherapy, and lowers the long-term burden on NHS services.

Lowering the screening age to 40 would save lives, improve outcomes, and bring the UK in line with screening policies in other countries.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign this petition which calls for the same action: Lower the age for invites to regular mammograms to 40.

Timeline

17 Jul 2025 Petition opened for signatures
31 Jul 2025 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 12
Status Rejected
Rejected 31 Jul 2025

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 20 Aug 2026.