Cancer centres under pressure as referrals soar

IRELAND’s new cancer centres are coming under pressure because of a huge increase in the number of women routinely referred by GPs, the director of the National Cancer Control Programme, Prof Tom Keane, revealed yesterday.

Prof Keane said there has been a 50% increase in the number of new cases referred to the centres’ symptomatic breast service over the past two years but the number of new cancer cases only increased slightly, reflecting the significant change in referrals.

He told the members of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children there had been a huge increase in the number of GPs who were referring women who did not have breast lumps but had breast pain and were worried about breast cancer.