Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2025: Why Women Avoid Breast Screening And How Diagnostics Can Help

For many women, the idea of going for a breast screening is shadowed by fear. Fear of hearing the worst. Fear of being judged. Fear of what life might look like if the results aren't what they hoped for. Sometimes, the hesitation is not fear but the thought that “I feel fine, so why should I bother?” These emotions, though silent and often unspoken are powerful enough to keep women away from mammograms and other diagnostic tests that could save their lives.

This avoidance is not unique to one country. A new national survey from MedStar Health in the United States shows that almost half of women aged 40 and above do not receive their annual mammogram and more than one in ten have never had one. What makes this even more concerning is that many of them are unaware of how much screening has improved. Over the past two decades, tools like genetic testing, artificial intelligence and 3D mammography have transformed accuracy, reduced unnecessary call backs and caught cancers earlier. Yet, the very women who stand to benefit most are often the ones staying away.

India's Tougher Battle

India tells a similar but more worrying story. Breast cancer has now surpassed cervical cancer to become the most common cancer among Indian women, with nearly 230,000 new cases every year. The tragedy is that for every two women diagnosed, one dies from the disease. This is not only because the cancer is aggressive, but also because many women are diagnosed too late. Unlike the West, Indian women tend to develop breast cancer at a younger age, yet awareness and screening practices remain limited.

The challenges are layered. In cities, advanced imaging and oncologists may be available but the majority of India still lives in rural and semi-urban regions where diagnostic facilities are scarce. Here, women either do not have access to mammography at all or must travel far to get it. Even when services are available, social stigma and silence around family health history prevent them from timely action. Many women either do not know the symptoms to watch out for or dismiss changes in their body until it is too late.

Hope in New Technology

Science, however, is giving us hope. Recent studies from Indian cohorts reveal that 29.1% of patients carried BRCA mutations which is a much higher prevalence than reported in the West. This shows that genetic testing could play a powerful role in identifying at-risk women much earlier. Similarly, the use of AI in reading mammograms is proving to be a game-changer. In the U.S., doctors now say AI acts as a “second set of eyes” and actually helps to reduce false positives and unnecessary return visits. For women who already feel anxious about screenings, this means fewer call backs and faster and  more reliable results.

Breaking the Silence

The road ahead lies in bridging awareness with access. Diagnostics can only change outcomes if women feel encouraged, safe and supported in seeking them. Education campaigns must focus on breaking stigma and normalizing conversations about family health history. Infrastructure must extend beyond urban centers, bringing advanced imaging and trained professionals closer to women in underserved areas. And above all, innovations like AI, genetic testing and 3D mammography must be explained in a way that reassures women rather than intimidates them.

Breast screening is not just a medical procedure. It is a lifeline. Every delayed test narrows the window of survival, while every timely diagnosis opens the possibility of treatment and recovery. The question is not whether diagnostics can help, but whether we as a society can remove the barriers that stop women from using them.

(By Dr Kunal Sharma, Vice President & Head - Integrated Onco-pathology, Lead- DP & AI initiatives, Agilus Diagnostics)

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