Women who miss their first breast cancer screening face a 40% higher risk of dying from the disease, according to a new study.
Experts at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed data from more than half a million Swedish women invited to attend breast cancer screening between 1991 and 2020.
After considering several criteria, the researchers found that one in three women did not attend their initial screening appointment. Missing this first check-up significantly increased their likelihood of dying from breast cancer.
The study also showed that women who skipped their first screening were less likely to attend future medical appointments.
The researchers wrote: “First screening non-participants had a 40% higher breast cancer mortality risk than participants, persisting over 25 years. If early screening behaviour is predictive of later stage diagnosis and mortality risk, it could provide a valuable opportunity to identify populations at high risk decades before adverse outcomes occur.“
