Nearly half of people ignored invites to breast cancer screening at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
Anyone who gets invite is being asked to attend their screening
People in Cambridgeshire are being urged not to dismiss invitations for breast cancer screenings after a local NHS Trust revealed just over half of those invited attended last year.
The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. which runs the Peterborough City, Stamford and Rutland, and Hinchingbrooke Hospitals, say of the 20,000 people called for a screening last year.
Sharon Maywood, a nurse who was diagnosed with breast cancer while working as a nurse at Peterborough City Hospital, is now trying to encourage others to get their screening.
She said: "The earlier you get checked out, the better the outcome and the less savage the treatment arguably.
"You only get one life and that's something I still contemplate on.
"We all have this tendency to be in denial.
She's also encouraging people to regularly check their breasts for lumps and changes.
She added: "We know our bodies and if something isn't right, get it checked."
For more advice on symptoms and breast cancer research, visit Breast Cancer Awareness's website.