BreastCheck delays - Cancer leaves no room for complacency
John Crown, Professor of Oncology at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin, admitted that this country is not doing enough to combat the scourge of breast cancer.
Scientists have not yet discovered the causes, much less an actual cure, but they have long known that early detection provides the best hope of survival for women suffering from breast cancer.
Screening is the most effective means of early detection. A breast screening service was introduced in the North in 1993 and since then the death rate from breast cancer has been cut by over 20%.
Serious questions must be asked about the delay in introducing a similar nationwide screening programme in the Republic.
The BreastCheck programme was introduced in 2000 in the eastern, north-eastern and midlands regions, with plans to extend it to the rest of the country by 2004.
That deadline has been extended a number of times, and it will not be until the end of 2007 before free breast cancer screening will be available for all women between 50 and 64 throughout the country.
A woman is considered at twice the risk of developing breast cancer if a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) has developed the disease.
The risk more than triples if more than one close relative has had breast cancer. It is vital that such susceptible people should have regular check-ups, however, women in the south and west may have to wait for up to 18 months for a test.
Where the BreastCheck programme has already been introduced, it has been particularly successful, in that over 50% of cancers have been detected at an early stage.
The programme has also been strongly supported, with 76% of those contacted availing of the invitation to have a free breast x-ray, or mammogram. This is significantly above the European average of 70%.
But there is no room for congratulations, because the delay in extending the programme has led to the needless deaths of over four hundred women.
They had to go through a horrific ordeal and their families have had to endure the agony of watching the terminal suffering of loved ones.
The delays in extending BreastCheck have been attributed to various factors, such as the initial difficulty in securing funds from the Department of Finance, followed by problems of tendering for the construction of dedicated buildings in Cork and Galway.
The latest suggestion that a shortage of radiographers will lead to a further delay in the full implementation of the programme has been refuted.
It seems that the nine-to-five working hours have a particular appeal and there should be no difficulty in filling the positions, even if it leads to a shortage of radiographers elsewhere.
The one certainty in this life is ultimate death so this is a problem that should concern everybody. It may not be your problem today, but it could be someday.
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