Breast Cancer Screening in Suffolk is part of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes.  The aim of the programme is to reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer.  This is achieved by women being offered and attending for regular mammograms (breast x-ray).  Mammograms can detect small changes in breast tissue which may indicate cancers which are too small to be felt either by the woman herself or by a doctor.   

Women are invited and offered breast screening from the ages of 50 to 70.  Women may not be offered screening as soon as they become 50 but will be invited for their first mammogram before they reach 53.  Women are thereafter invited for breast screening every three years up to the age of 70.  Women over 70 will not be sent an appointment but can remain in the programme by ‘self referring’ and contacting their local breast screening service.

Breast Screening in Suffolk is provided by Ipswich Hospital for the residents of East Suffolk and by West Suffolk Hospital for the residents who live in the west of the county.

To get the most from the breast screening programme it is important that women attend for screening when they receive their personal invitation.  It is also important that tell their doctor whenever they move, this ensures that the invitation letters go to the correct address. 

Contacts; enquiries in the first instance to:

East Suffolk Breast Screening Service 01473 703344

West Suffolk Breast Screening Service 01284 713941

For more information on either breast screening or cervical screening go to www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk