Each year 650 women die from breast cancer in Ireland but a new major screening programme, BreastCheck, introduced yesterday, aims to reduce the death rate by at least a fifth in women aged 50 to 64 within the decade.
The first report of the National Breast Screening Steering Committee, launched yesterday by the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Cowen, shows that Ireland has the fourth-highest incidence of breast cancer among 25 countries studied by the World Health Organisation.
Phase 1 of BreastCheck will be available in the Eastern, North-Eastern and Midland health board areas which will take in 120,000 women, or 50 per cent of the eligible female population in Ireland.
It will be free to women aged 50 to 64 starting from October and screening will be offered by postal invitation. It will be carried out either at the Eccles Unit on the campus of the Mater Hospital, at the Merrion Unit on the campus of St Vincent's Hospital or at one of the programmes' two mobile units which will travel into local areas.
Dr Sheelagh Ryan, chairwoman of the committee and CEO of the Western Health Board, speaking at the launch, said that when the success of the operational process had been demonstrated, she would ask the Minister to extend the programme to all eight health boards as soon as possible.
She said that breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer death in Ireland. Each year 650 women died from it and more than 1,550 new cancers arose.
"By delivering a world-class screening programme to Irish women, we know we can reduce the mortality in women screened by at least 20 per cent within the decade," she said.
The invitation to screening to women in that age group was scientifically proven to provide the best or most effective outcome. They were aiming to achieve at least 70 per cent response from women to the screening invitation. To ensure the best results they would be calling women every two years for mammography. This would improve the initial pick-up rate and lessen the risk of cancers going undetected. Ireland would be the fourth European state to introduce such a programme, following on the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. The committee had taken the best practice from each of these in the design of the Irish programme and, more importantly, had built in safeguards to avoid the difficulties experienced elsewhere.
The project director, Dr Jane Buttimer, said: "We are now confident that we can deliver a breast screening service which will make a real difference to Irish women's health. I look forward to the first woman coming over our doorstep to be screened."
The Minister said his Department had approved capital funding of about £2 million for the development of the two central units. He was conscious of the need to have equity of access for all breast cancer patients, irrespective of age or where they lived. He had asked the National Cancer Forum, the expert advisory group to his Department on cancer services, to assess the diagnostic services for benign and malignant breast disease and report back to him as soon as possible.