Irish women face 18-month wait to undergo vital cancer gene test

Chronic funding failures mean Irish women at risk of the same breast cancer as Hollywood star Angelina Jolie must wait 18 months to see if they have the same life-threatening gene.

The Irish Cancer Society said health service budget issues mean the lengthy wait is unavoidable — despite the need for patients to know what they are facing as soon as possible.

Speaking after Ms Jolie revealed she had a double mastectomy having been diagnosed with a key genetic marker for family history-linked breast cancer, the society said 200-300 Irish women are struck by the same news every year.