Success as NHS Lothian hits targets for breast screening

EXPERTS have welcomed the success of Scottish health boards in hitting targets for ensuring women are screened for breast cancer.

NHS Lothian screened 73.8 per cent of women aged 50 to 64 at least once between 2004 and 2007 - above the national target of 70 per cent.

Dr Alexis Willet, policy manager for charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "Breakthrough Breast Cancer welcomes the statistics published today which show that the Scottish NHS Breast Screening Programme is meeting the officially required national performance standards.

"Regular breast screening plays an important and key role in the early detection of breast cancer. The earlier the disease is detected and then treated the better the chance of a successful outcome.

"However, current research suggests that there are still some groups of women who do not attend their screening appointments."

"There is still much to do to provide accessible information, relevant to all sections of society, to educate all eligible women about the availability and importance of attending their screening."