The government has recently apologised for an IT error which has resulted in nearly half a million women missing out on NHS cancer screening over the past decade.
The technical issue meant that 450,000 women in the age group 68-71 were not sent the standard letter inviting them to routine breast cancer check-ups. Up to 270 of those affected may have died prematurely as a result of this appalling error and there may be more women whose cancer was caught at a later, less treatable stage.
Breast cancers found by screening are generally at an early stage, meaning that early diagnosis helps maximise chances of survival. Although it is not yet clear in many of these cases that earlier tests would have detected cancer, or that if it had the cancer would have been successfully treated, or the women would otherwise have survived, it is a real possibility.
It is devastating for the women who have not received screening invitations they were relying on, and who have then gone on to develop breast cancer that could have been picked up and treated earlier.
Jeremy Hunt has apologised to the women and their families and announced an independent review into this ‘serious failure’ to look into how many women have been affected and how it can be prevented from happening again.
While we await the outcome of the independent review, the immediate priority is to ensure the women and families involved get the support and treatment they need.
Breast Cancer Screening – Key Points (source – NHS)
- Breast cancers found by screening are generally at an early stage. Very early breast cancers are usually easier to treat, may need less treatment, and are more likely to be cured.
- The current evidence suggests that breast screening reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer by about 1,300 a year in the UK.
- Almost all women diagnosed with breast cancer at the earliest possible stage survive for at least five years after diagnosis and are likely to be cured.