However, the results of this will not be available until at least next year. The results of the two trials involved a total of 300,000 women. One of them, conducted in Edinburgh, studied more than 54,000 women between 40 and 50 years old - half of whom were screened, and half who were not. East London GP Dr Gaby Tobias, who helped author a set of guidelines on how breast disease should be managed, said that a comprehensive study would be needed to persuade the screening programme to extend below 50. It would be good news if it did save lives below 50, as there are a lot of tragic stories of very young women dying very quickly.
Breast cancer tends to be quite aggressive in younger women.
Around 15,000 women a year die from the disease, although the screening programme estimates that 1,250 a year are saved through its efforts. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.