AgeX
The National Health Service (NHS) routinely offers breast screening every three years to all UK women in the age range 50-70. The government is currently considering extending this age range to 47-73. However, while a great deal is known about the effects of breast screening for women aged 50-70, little is known about screening for slightly younger and for slightly older women.
AgeX aims to address this knowledge gap through two separate trials. One trial will assess the benefits (in particular, the chances of reducing breast cancer mortality) and the harms of offering an additional screen (in particular, the chances of being diagnosed and treated for a non-life-threatening cancer) to women aged 47-49. The other trial will assess the benefits and the harms of offering an additional screen to women aged 71-73.
Between 2009 and 2020, over four million women entered into AgeX with around half being offered an additional screen. All women in AgeX are followed for outcomes, such as breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and mortality, through electronic linkage to routinely collected NHS health records. This allows the study team to compare outcomes in women offered an additional screen with those in women not offered an additional screen.
Follow-up by electronic linkage to routinely collected NHS health records will continue to December 2031. For breast cancer mortality there will be two reports. The first report will be on the follow-up to December 2026, and the final report will be on the follow-up to December 2031.
The Department of Health and Social Care provided funding for the additional screening for AgeX and for staff salaries. Cancer Research UK also provided funding for staff salaries and currently funds the AgeX data manager and the AgeX manager.
AgeX is registered at ISRCTN33292440 and NCT01081288.