IrishMedicalNews

Calls for under-50s breast cancer screening

Written by Paul Mulholland Monday, 08 February 2010 12:33

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A doctor representing a new patient support group has rejected the reasons given by the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) for not providing breast screening for women under 50 years of age.

The NCSS states that pre-menopausal women are unsuitable for routine screening as they would need to be screened far more frequently than the recommended two yearly screening interval – leading to exposure of excessive and adverse levels of radiation.

This is because in women who have not reached menopause, the breast tissue is usually dense and it is more difficult to see a small cancer with a mammogram.

However, Dr Juliet McAleese of the cancer support group Survive and Thrive says that digital screening has very low levels of radiation and makes it much easier to identify cancer even in younger women.

“The reasons given by the NCSS shy away from the real issue, which is funding,” Dr McAleese told IMN.

“Many other countries are providing screening for this age group. What is worrying is that the NCSS is giving out the message that women under 50 are not at risk of breast cancer when this is not the case.”

Although the risk of breast cancer increases with age, Dr McAleese states that more than 600 cases of breast cancer occur in women aged under 50 in Ireland annually.

However, on the introduction of digital mammography in 2008, the Board of the NCCSS commissioned an internal review to examine the evidence for reducing the lower screening age limit from 50 to 47.

Following this review insufficient evidence of benefit was found to reduce the age range for breast screening, according to the NCSS.