Women who may have breast cancer will soon be offered a three-in-one test to speed up diagnosis, the NHS watchdog NICE has said.
Under revised standards, NICE has called for women to receive an examination, scan and biopsy in one day.
Currently, women who have been referred by their GP for breast cancer testing sometimes have to wait days or even weeks between each test.
"Having all three in a single visit will help ensure people get a faster diagnosis and be a more efficient use of resources," the watchdog said.
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Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE said: “Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in England, and around one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives.
"That’s why it’s important that we have clear standards in place to reflect national priorities for improvement, promote best practice and help all those involved in delivering services to provide the very highest levels of care."
As well as proposing to cut down diagnosis time, the new standards also outline improvements in the quality of care women will receive, particularly those with secondary breast cancer (when cancer has started in the breast, but then spread to another part of the body).
These patients will now have their treatment managed by a "multidisciplinary team" and be assigned a key worker to ensure they receive the support they need.
Women with recurring breast cancer will also have additional tests to reassess their hormone status after repeat diagnosis.
Commenting on these changes, Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: "If enacted, NICE’s new quality standard will be a positive step towards better treatment and care for breast cancer patients.
"Ensuring we reassess a patient’s hormone status when their cancer returns and spreads is absolutely the right thing to do.
"Similarly, it’s really encouraging that the unique needs of women diagnosed with secondary breast cancer are to be recognised as a national priority."
Baroness Morgan also said the concept of a one-step clinic represented "major progress" if it actually happens, but she's sceptical about whether it will be rolled out across the country.
"This promise has been in guidelines for many years and questions must be asked about why hospitals haven’t been able to deliver this for all patients to date," she said.
"These steps would reduce the number of hospital visits for patients, amid a difficult wait for a confirmed diagnosis."
Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)