§ Mr. Loveridgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of women in the United Kingdom develop breast cancer registered in Great Britain from it.
§ Mr. MoyleIn 1970, the latest year for which complete information is available, there were 19,952 new cases of female breast cancer registered in Geat Britain. In the same year, the number of deaths from breast cancer were 11,775 and female deaths totalled 313,243. These figures mean that about one in 20 women will in due course develop the disease, 109W and about one in 30 of all women die from it.
§ Mr. Loveridgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost of making arrangements in the United Kingdom for screening women (a) over 40 years of age and (b) over 50 years of age for breast cancer; and, if all women over 40 years of age were screened, what saving in life might be expected due to the earlier discovery of the disease.
§ Mr. MoyleOur best estimate of the cost of providing in Great Britain a breast cancer screening service, consisting of annual X-ray mammography and clinical examination, is currently £60 million a year for women over 40, and £45 million a year for women over 50. This figure takes no account of the cost of additional biopsies. We are at present carrying out futher research into the cost of a breast cancer screening programme. The best estimates of saving of life suggest that with the full and continued application of all the methods of screening currently thought to be feasible there might be a reduction in mortality, with a saving of 1,200 lives a year.