Carol Turansky, 79, from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, has a message for the NHS: cancer doesn't stop when you turn 70, and neither should mammograms. Turansky discovered she had breast cancer after requesting a mammogram earlier this year - despite having no symptoms. She's now urging other women over 70 to self-refer for routine screenings, which the NHS routinely offers only to women aged 50 to 70.

Turansky's petition calling for an NHS campaign to educate older women about self-referral has already garnered over 70,000 signatures. "Without the mammogram, who knows? It would have grown and grown," she said, adding that she "pats herself on the head every day" for booking the appointment and "shudders to think" what might have happened otherwise. She's now due to undergo a mastectomy.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said screening decisions are based on the best available evidence, while NHS England noted that the risk of overdiagnosis increases with age - meaning some detected cancers might never cause harm. Sam Robinson, from cancer charity Big C, explained that routine screening stops after 70 partly because older patients may have other health problems that make treatments more risky. But she stressed that screening remains important if women notice changes or are concerned.

Research suggests one in three breast cancers occur in women aged 71 or over. A UK trial examining the risks and benefits of extending screening to women aged 47-49 and 71-73 is underway, with results expected in 2027. Meanwhile, Turansky's advice is simple: "Tell your mother, your aunt, your neighbour - get a mammogram."