Debate about breast cancer centres ‘over’

THE debate on the location of breast cancer treatment services is over, Ireland’s cancer chief declared yesterday.

Director of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) Professor Tom Keane said more patients were opting to be diagnosed and treated in the state’s eight centres of excellence.

And, he said, the move by patients towards the centres started in 2003.

“I have said repeatedly that this debate is over,” said Prof Keane, who pointed out that the consolidation of breast cancer diagnostic and treatment services would continue this year.

Prof Keane pointed out that patients referred to the symptomatic breast cancer service at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin had increased from 50 to 90 patients a week.

Other centres of excellence had also noticed an increase in the number of patients being referred to their symptomatic breast cancer service.

And while it would be another couple of months before he had any hard data on the issue, it was already clear women and the doctors referring them had made their own treatment choice.

“Women and the doctors referring them are taking proceedings into their own hands as to where they want to be treated,” he said.

It was originally planned that 60% of public patients would be treated in the centres at the end of this year, with the figure increasing to 90% in 2009.

Prof Keane said the plan was significantly ahead of schedule because of the number of patients who had already moved to the centres for treatment.

Almost €6 million had been already invested in additional staff and services for breast cancer at the eight centres.

Additional resources would be transferred to the centres from hospitals that were no longer providing breast cancer services.

Prof Keane said he planned to spend an extra €35 million on all cancers this year in addition to the overall cancer budget, currently embedded within the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Asked about new figures showing that patients were waiting up to a year and a half for a bowel cancer test, Prof Keane stressed that urgent patients were tested within a matter of weeks.

However, he admitted there was a problem in arranging tests for patients with minimal symptoms and, ultimately, more resources would be required in this area.

Europa Donna Ireland, the independent charity working to raise awareness of breast cancer, said there should be no more dithering about resourcing of breast treatment centres.

Politicians and the HSE needed to end the turf wars and get behind Prof Keane, it stated.

Meanwhile, the Irish Cancer Society confirmed yesterday that it will receive €750,000 from the NCCP next month to provide financial assistance for people travelling long distances to the centres.

The scheme will also cover patients travelling to an approved regional hospital following initial treatment at a centre.