The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, has set up an advisory group to consult local agencies and health boards on how best to improve the services for women with breast cancer.
Deficiencies in breast cancer services were recently criticised in a report by the Women's Health Council.
The need to travel long distances for treatment is putting women under extra stress, it said, and it also criticised delays of up to a month to get an appointment with a breast clinic.
A report in this week's Irish Medical News said the National Cancer Forum had recommended providing extra services at a smaller number of hospitals as the way forward.
It said the forum had recommended setting up specialist surgical and diagnostic units in the Mater, Beaumont, St Vincent's, St James's and Tallaght hospitals in Dublin; Cork University Hospital and the South Infirmary in Cork; Waterford Regional; Limerick Regional; University College Hospital, Galway; Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda; Sligo General; and Tullamore General.
When these units were fully developed, services at Tralee, Ennis, Castlebar, Letterkenny, Mullingar, Portlaoise and James Connolly Memorial (Blanchardstown, Dublin) would end, it said.
The Irish Medical News reported that the Minister had accepted the recommendations - but in yesterday's statement Mr Martin said "no final decisions have been taken in relation to the recommendations of the cancer forum sub-group report".
"It is not the intention of the Minister to undermine existing facilities but rather to work with all those currently involved to develop centres of excellence for women throughout the country," his statement said.
Prof Niall O'Higgins, who chaired the sub-group, is to chair the advisory group.