Cancer misdiagnoses ‘caused by breakdown in best practice’

IT IS now “crystal clear” that all the mistakes made in diagnosing breast cancer were due to an absolute breakdown of best practice, Europa Donna Ireland said yesterday.

“Medical science has known for the last 10 years that triple assessment was the best way to diagnose and treat breast cancer,” said Christine Murphy-Whyte, chair of Europa Donna Ireland.

She urged everyone in the health service to get behind National Cancer Control Programme director Professor Tom Keane and work to make breast cancer services the best that they could be.

Early diagnosis was crucial, she stressed.

“You do not cut corners with cancer. It is a very pernicious and elusive disease,” she said.

Ultimately, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) would be accrediting the centres and they would be ensuring that best practice was maintained.

“We know what needs to be done. There seems to be a political will now, which has been missing in previous years, but it requires the co-operation of people throughout the health services as well,” she said.

The Irish Cancer Society said controversies in the breast cancer services had seriously eroded public confidence.

The society’s chief executive, John McCormack, said it was vital that the Government and Health Service Executive worked to restore confidence by giving the public a commitment to centralising and adequately resourcing breast and other cancer services.

Inequalities in access to high quality care for all women with breast cancer must be eliminated, said Mr McCormack.

The society has stressed that a woman diagnosed with breast cancer should only be treated in a hospital that can adhere to the National Quality Assurance standards for symptomatic breast disease services in addition to the 15 recommendations made in HIQA’s report into the Rebecca O’Malley case.

Meanwhile, BreastCheck has pointed out that the decision not to involve Barringtons Hospital in the national screening programme was taken solely by them.

It said comments made in correspondence between BreastCheck and Barringtons, referred to in Patient A’s statement, were in relation to population based breast screening and did not form an assessment of the symptomatic service then in place at the hospital.

* Women concerned about any issue in relation to breast awareness and/or breast cancer in general can call the Action Breast Cancer helpline on Freefone 1800 309040 weekdays from 9am to 5pm.