does nhs cover cost of mamorgrams for people under 40
does nhs cover cost of mamorgrams for people under 40 Hi there everyone, Ive zipped across from the secondry site. This is something Ive wondered for a while. In Australia. you cant use the breast screening services if you are under 40. I was 39 and turned away, and had to go to a private hospital (get referral from gp bla bla- 2 months later). Anyway been one of my bug bears since I was dx 2 years ago. Oh also is it normal after surgery to have an mri of the brain? guess where my mets is?
Enjoy every scrap of life! Love Suzy
nhs do pay!!! I was 37 when diagnosed and have an identical twin. She received a mammo on the nhs. She will be put on a screening programme but our nhs trust does not offer this under 40. As the next mammo would be due at 40 it is likely she will get it anyway. it seems that if there is a case for a mammo then it is paid for without question.
Hers was clear by the way!
Best wishes Janxx
My Daughter is 41 this year and had to pay £40 for her mammogram, she is waiting for an appointment, she thought she should have it done as I was diagnosed with BC.
Take Care.
Val. XXXX.
Hi Suzy,
I had a mammogram when I presented with a lump at age 37, it did not show anything abnormal, (neither did the FNA or ultra sound) in the end it was the core biopsy that gave the dreaded result.
My sister who is 36 has been referred to the BC by our GP due to my history, they gave her a good prodding and advised she was to be checked by our GP annually until she reaches 40 then she will be invited to join the breast screening services.
and re second question, I had large lump and node involvment, no scans what so ever, my Onc advised that mets do not show immediatley as cells have to be a certain size and therefore a waste of money and false hope.
Take care
Debbie
Mammos for under 40’s and scans Hi Suzy,
Mammos are normaly done on the NHS from 50 yrs old. I believe if there is a palpable lump in someone under 50 yrs, docs have discretion to do mammos and u/s.
Scans - I was dx with invasive ductal bc, stage and grade 2, 2cm tumour, with 4 lymph nodes affected. After two surgeries, and whilst undergoing FEC chemo, I had bone and liver scans. I had chest x-ray just before the 1st surgery and an ECG on my heart. I think the post-op scans were because the bc had already spread to the lymph nodes and they were concerned about possible spread to other organs.
I had no palpable lump, detectable neither by me, my husband or my local GP who checked me out when I was recalled after my usual 3 yrly mammo. I had no idea anything was wrong, except shooting pains under and down my right arm - the tumour was in the right breast and right lymph nodes. I am so grateful that I had the mammo, but with hindsight wish I had gone for annual mammos and paid for them. I have a couple of friends under 50 who have annual mammos, believe it costs £75 where they live, and another friend was dx at 36yrs, thru a private mammo.
Liz.
I half-remember reading somewhere that ‘they’ reckon that it’s a bit of a waste of time giving mammograms to people under 50 as there is so much fatty breast tissue or something that they can’t really see anything.
I found my own lump at 40 and had the full set of mammogram/needle biopsy/core biopsy at our one-stop clinic where I was diagnosed.
I subsequently had a bone scan but touch wood I’ve had no scans since. (Discounting the two local ultrasounds where I complained of pains & they found a cyst)
Mum and I have both had BC now but of my three sisters who are all over 50 only 1 has had a mammogram the other 2 are still waiting to be called.
Good luck with everything,
Valerie x
I had the 3 stages done at my one stop clinic and the surgeon was pleased to tell me I had a benign fibroid which he would remove as a day case.
Went back the following week and he told me he had found a stage 3 cancer hidden underneath - it did not show up on any of the tests (in fact he went to the path lab to find out why nothing was picked up as he was so angry he wanted an investigation, but the fibroid samples were completely clear. I had it in 1 node out of 22 and was HER2+ to boot. I’m 45 with no history of any real ill health, talk about the Doctor having to give me a terrible shock. He had already gauged that I am a very matter of fact person, so he just gave it to me straight and for that I am eternally grateful to him.
A friend is a Oncologist in another part of the country and is very senior in his field. He has told me that some cells are so tiny no test picks them up. He has spoken to me impartially about diagnosis and treatment, also about how I am managing things (and he used to work at the same hospital as my docs and says they are amongst the best here). He has said that with Taxotere and Herceptin coming up (Tax starts today) I should not get too worried. He also said that 1 out of 22 nodes is not a bad diagnosis in his view. Apparently when Herceptin was not free you had to have 10 nodes positive or more to qualify on the NHS.
Hi Suzy This is what the NHS website has to say about screening in the UK:
"The NHS Breast Screening Programme provides free breast screening every three years for all women in the UK aged 50 and over. Around one-and-a-half million women are screened in the UK each year. Women aged between 50 and 70 are now routinely invited.
Because the programme is a rolling one which invites women from GP practices in turn, not every woman will receive an invitation as soon as she is 50. But she will receive her first invitation before her 53rd birthday.Once women reach the upper age limit for routine invitations for breast screening, they are encouraged to make their own appointment."
As others have said, this is supposedly because mammograms do not work so well for younger, denser breast tissue. I’m sure cost plays a part - it does in all other areas of the NHS. I think it is appalling that you could wait until you’re 53 for your first appointment. I was diagnosed at 50 and a half, and my first routine screening appointment came through 18 months after my 50th birthday.