This article is from page 6 of the 2006-05-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE director of Breast Check has said that the mammography unit currently being commissioned for Clare and the Western area is not suitable for detecting breast cancer in younger women. Addressing a meeting of the HSE Forum West Tony O’Brien said that the technology available was not suitable for screening premenopausal women.
According to Breast Check the incidents of breast cancer is lower in women under 50, and mammography is less efficient at detecting breast cancer in younger women because the breast tissue is denser.
“The onset of breast cancer is more aggressive in younger women so a screening programme would have to screen more frequently to be effective,” a circular from the national breast-screening programme explained. Mr O’Brien said that women with a family history of breast cancer should refer to their General Practitioner. Younger women are also likely to have more than one GP, who they attend for different reasons, making it difficult for the health service to track their history of breast cancer, he said. The Breast Check director said the service would be rolled out throughout the West including Clare during the last six months of 2007.
The 7,999 Clare women eligible to take part in the screening will then be called to visit one of the mobile units visiting their area every two years. Cancer is likely to be detected in an estimated 41 Clare women during the two-year cycle.
During the meeting Mr O’Brien heard the concerns of the councillors from the Western area, who said many women are walking around with breast cancer unknown to themselves due to the delay in rolling out the breast check service nationwide.
“I understand the cynicism and concern because I lived through that too,” he said. “We cannot deliver the programme more quickly that what I have outlined,” he added.
The director also warned that without a team of radiographers the mammography unit is of no use.
Breast Check is currently trying to recruit 36 radiotherapists for the west and south. Planning permission has been granted for a unit at the University Hospital Galway, which will accommodate both the Breastcheck base for the West and the existing symptomatic breast disease service in UCHG. In addition to its base in Galway, Breastcheck will have three mobile screening vehicles covering counties Clare, Tipperary North, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.