A leading cancer charity in the North today announced it is lowering the breast cancer screening age for women to 40.
A double reading system of all mammogram films has also been introduced by Action Cancer to ensure two consultant radiologists report on every test taken.
Specialist digital equipment will arrive today to aid the fight against a disease that kills hundreds annually in the North.
Chief executive Robin McRoberts said: "We are again leading the way by reducing the screening age to 40 - the NHS writes to women from age 50 - a huge development for the women of Northern Ireland.
"Our service will complement the programme on offer by the NHS, thus ensuring even more women can access vital screening facilities."
The new arrangements mean that for the first time, self-referring women will be offered routine screening every two years once they reach 40.
Every year in Northern Ireland nearly 900 new cases of breast cancer are reported, with the rate of cases is rising by 12 a year. More than 300 women die from the disease annually.