Women suffering from breast cancer in the Mid-Western Health Board area are opting for mastectomy treatment rather than travelling to Dublin for radiotherapy, according to case histories of some of the 1,500 people in the region who are diagnosed with cancer annually.
Mr John O'Brien, an assistant chief executive with the board, said at yesterday's monthly meeting, that about 750 people require radiotherapy treatment in the region annually.
He was a member of a delegation from the board which made the case recently to the Minister for Health-appointed expert group on cancer treatment for the need for a regional radiotherapy service.
Currently in the region, surgery and chemotherapy are available.
"What we are missing is the third component, radiotherapy.
"It is considered acceptable for some cancer units, with a smaller catchment population, to provide radiotherapy services if the travel time to a more remote cancer centre would be unduly onerous on the patient."
"This limit is generally accepted as greater than 60 miles by road," he said.
Travelling to Dublin placed an extra burden of hardship and transport costs on patients, particularly terminally-ill ones, and their relatives, and was at variance with the philosophy of palliative medicine which advocates treatment in familiar surroundings.