Breast cancer screening doesn’t save lives - says the doctor who invented it

Britain's breast screening programme is said to save more than 1,000 lives every year. So why does Dr Michael Baum, the cancer expert who launched the initiative back in 1988, say it is failing women? He explains to The Medical Minefield team why he believes the NHS breast cancer screening programme is doing more harm than good, while Professor Fiona Gilbert, oncologist from Cambridge University argues for a shake-up of the entire system. Perhaps, she says, it's not necessary for some women to undergo the painful scans so often. Meanwhile, the team speaks to a woman who has decided to ditch the scans entirely – and has no regrets.

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