BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme, began screening women in Cork this morning
Screening takes place on the campus of South Infirmary Victoria Hospital in the city. The service is due to expand to Galway next week.
Breastcheck screened 63, 271 women in 2006, the highest number screened by the service to date.
According to the service's Annual Report, published today, the rate of overall acceptance of invitation to screening was 78.1 per cent of eligible women, an increase on the number of invitations accepted in 2005 and in excess of the programme target of 70 per cent.
Of the 63,271 women screened in 2006, 1,903 were recalled for assessment. A total of 337 of those recalled were diagnosed with cancer, representing 5.3 cancers per 1,000 women screened, compared to 5.3 in 2005 and 6.1 in 2004.
In 2006, 19,527 of all women screened were new to the programme and 43,744 women had attended at least one previous BreastCheck appointment.
Meanwhile, members of Siptu's National Women's Council are protesting outside the Dáil today at the lack of cancer screening facilities and centres of excellence in northern counties.
"If we draw a line from Dublin to Galway, women above the line will be denied a centre of excellence. This is appalling and unacceptable," said Anne Speed, Siptu's National Campaigns' Organiser.
"Irish women demand the very best in cancer care services and will no longer accept anything less. At some stage in our lives we all need to access the health services and we deserve nothing but the best when it comes to our well being," she said.