Shocking rate of breast cancer deaths could be curbed by screening

EVERY six minutes, a woman in the EU dies of breast cancer — but comprehensive screening, in countries such as Ireland, could reduce this shocking statistic.

A woman’s chance of surviving, depends on where she lives in Europe, according to a report supporting a proposal for EU coordinated and regulated breast cancer screening, to be voted on in Parliament today.

With screening and treatment programmes varying hugely, survival rates could be twice as high in some countries.

Ireland is one of 14 EU countries providing ‘none or only a limited screening service’, despite the disease being the biggest killer of women aged between 35 and 59 years. In recent years, there has been a doubling here, of the disease in women under 40.

Irish MEPs were to the forefront in the European Parliament yesterday demanding an EU-wide breast cancer screening programme and specialised clinical breast units under EU guidelines.

Independent MEP Marian Harkin said, according to the World Health Organisation, deaths could be reduced by one-third with proper screening.

“Shame on all of us and shame on my own country — Ireland — where we have not yet rolled out BreastCheck on a nationwide basis,” she said.

Deaths from breast cancer are significantly higher in the Republic than in the North, where breast screening was available in all areas, Ms Harkin noted.

Kathy Sinnott, MEP, is a co-sponsor of the breast cancer proposal which the Parliament will vote on today. She said that of the 250,000 women who develop the cancer every year, one-third die.

She demanded a Government investigation into the increasing numbers. “If we are going to prevent this disease and save lives, we must as a priority discover the causes for the increases.”

German MEP Karin Jöns said EU-wide screening could save 31,000 lives a year.

She criticised the common use of mastectomy in some EU countries, even for women diagnosed with cancer in its early stages.

Fourteen years after the publication of EU guidelines on mammography screening, only 11 of 25 member states provide nationwide screening.

“But, even with this form of early detection alone, we could save the lives of about 31,000 women a year in the EU with a single cost of only e1.25 per citizen,” Ms Jöns said.