Sarah's dream was that other women did not go through what she did

FARSANS DOCTOR'S BREAST SCREENING PLAN FOR OVER-30s

- SOPHIE HALLE-RICHARDS

THOUSANDS of women could be saved from the country's biggest killer for women in their 30s - thanks to the legacy of Sarah Harding.

The former Girls Aloud star, who was raised in Stockport, tragically died in 2021 aged just 39, after being diagnosed with breast cancer having found a lump during lockdown.

A doctor, based at The Christie hospital in south Manchester, who treated Sarah, now wants every woman in the UK to be invited for a risk screening when they turn 30.

Dr Sacha Howell, honorary consultant in medical oncology, says if the study is successful, it could be rolled out nationwide. Pop-up clinics in supermarket car parks could offer women DNA testing and low-dose mammograms.

Unlike regular mammograms, which look for tumours, these examine breast density, believed to identify those at higher risk of breast cancer. Dr Howell hopes to eventually invite all women aged 30 to 39 for screening.

Mammograms are currently only routinely offered on the NHS to over 50s.

According to Cancer Research, this is because the risk of breast cancer is generally 'very low' for women under the age of 50.

But breast cancer is now the most common cause of death for women in their 30s and more than 2,300 aged 39 or under are diagnosed each year.