Listen Back: Local women call for breast screening age to be lowered to ’help save lives’ | NorthernSound

In Ireland the national BreastCheck program currently invites women aged 50 to 69 for a free mammogram every two years.

Advocacy groups, political representatives, and health campaigns have increasingly called for the lowering of the routine breast screening age from 50 to younger brackets, pointing to rising diagnosis rates in women under 50 and alignment with European Council recommendations.

Reports in Ireland show a concerning rise in breast cancer diagnoses among younger women aged 20 to 49.

Overall, about 3,700 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in Ireland each year.

A Co Cavan woman who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer said she was 23 years too young for screening but was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of 27.

Because Alanna Kells from Milltown found the lump herself, she had to wait until the cancer formed a tumour that she could feel, however if she was eligible for screening her cancer could have been found much earlier and would have resulted in a far less invasive treatment plan.

With the screening age from 50, Alanna feels like Breast Cancer is advertised as an older women's health issue, which she fears deters younger women in their 20's from regularly checking, a routine which she says saved her life:

The 28 year old said she was always a "health conscious" person and regularly checked her breasts from the age of 20.

While she always checked her breasts regularly when standing up, it wasn't until she was lying down when examining herself that she discovered a lump.

The local woman said it's important for women and to regularly check their breasts, particularly when it comes to early intervention

Sorcha Lavelle who lives outside Virginia with her husband and son was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 22 ten years ago.

Sorcha also believes that the age for breast screenings should be lowered and more of a focus should be put on women's health.

Jodie Curran has been speaking with both women about their journeys and why they feel lowering the age bracket will help save more lives: