One in seven women will receive the devastating diagnosis of breast cancer during their lifetime — and October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness and improve survival rates.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases. Every year, around 56,500 women and 400 men are diagnosed, and 11,500 women die from the disease. Whilst the risk of breast cancer increases with age, women of working age have also seen a rise in incidence since the early 1990s — up 16% in those aged 25–49 and 14% in those aged 50–64. While there are several factors that can make someone more likely to be diagnosed, between 5–10% of breast cancers are thought to be caused by an inherited faulty gene that increases the risk of the disease.
Approximately 85% of breast cancer cases in the UK are detected at stages 1 and 2 — significantly better than many other cancers, largely due to the impact of breast cancer screening. However, with 42% of all cancers in the UK diagnosed at stages 3 and 4, and with the stark fact that the UK still has one of the worst cancer mortality rates in Europe, we clearly have a long way to go to improve survival and outcomes. Two of the main reasons behind this are low uptake of cancer screening and slower navigation before treatment.
Cancer screening is absolutely vital for early detection and better outcomes. We need to do more nationwide to help people reach screening faster. The NHS cancer service does an incredible job but remains under significant pressure as it strives to meet three key standards: faster diagnosis, 62-day referral to treatment, and 31-day decision to treat.
Uptake of NHS screening varies across the country. There are three national programmes — breast, bowel, and cervical — driven by age. Depending on where you live, there may also be access to a Lung Health Check, which can include a screening lung CT. This programme is being expanded but will not become national until 2029. There is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer, although men over 50 can request a PSA test from their GP.
The age factor in screening is a growing concern. Cancer incidence is trending younger, with the number of people under 50 being diagnosed in the UK rising by 24% over the last two decades. Yet many people with concerns are told they are too young to be screened through the NHS and are considered lower risk.
Given this alone, the role of employers and insurers has never been more important in helping employees and policyholders access earlier, faster screening and diagnosis — regardless of age. Nearly one million employees in the UK are already living with cancer, and this number is only set to rise. While secondary to the human cost, it’s also worth noting that easier and earlier access to screening can help reduce the £1.6 billion in annual cancer-related absence costs to UK businesses.
Survival rates
The difference in survival between stage 1 and stage 4 breast cancer is stark. When detected at stage 1, almost 100% of women will survive their cancer for five years or more after diagnosis. At stage 4, just 25% will survive five years or more, as the cancer is not curable at that stage — though it may be managed for several years with treatment.
Detecting breast cancer earlier not only improves outcomes for patients but also delivers huge financial benefits to the NHS. For example, hospital-based NHS costs for early invasive breast cancer increase from £5,167 at stage 1 to £13,330 at stage 3 in the first year after diagnosis.
Barriers to screening
There are still many barriers and inequalities around screening, and many people do not realise how much early diagnosis improves survival. People may not understand their own personal risk factors — including family history, cultural background, and lifestyle — and how these can influence cancer risk.
Others may be deterred because they don’t want to visit their GP or because screening appointments are offered in hospitals that are difficult to reach by public transport.
We need to help more people reach early detection faster — with support from employers and insurers. Employers should actively encourage uptake of NHS screening programmes, allow time off for screening appointments, and consider offering enhanced or expanded screening options.
While breast or lung screening must be done in a clinic, bowel, cervical, and prostate tests can often be done easily at home and are relatively inexpensive. Employers that educate their staff about personal cancer risk and offer clinically led pathways to screening play a vital role in ensuring employees have the best possible chance of detecting cancer early, when it is most treatable.
Cancer insurance claims
Cancer remains the leading cause of new claims across group risk products, accounting for 43% of payouts across life, critical illness (CI), and income protection (IP). Many of these claims — particularly life and IP — could be significantly reduced through more widespread screening.
It’s ethically the right thing to do. And while some employers and insurers are leading the way, nationwide uptake remains limited. This will likely change over the coming years as cancer cases rise and more employers recognise the need to offer cancer screening as a standard employee health benefit.
Since launching our screening product at the start of the year, we have tested over 500 people, underpinned by an advanced, clinically validated risk assessment that informs and educates employees on how to reduce their cancer risk and which screening tests could benefit them.
Across the six cancers being screened, we are already making a difference in people’s lives. Early detection saves lives — and the data speaks for itself.
