Breast-cancer screening received a strong endorsement yesterday from the research arm of the World Health Organisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has examined all the evidence for and against screening and has recommended that national breast-screening programmes continue.
It estimated that for every 500 women screened over a 10-year period, one will be saved by mammography, a screening X-ray which can detect cancerous growths in breast tissue.
Prof Bruce Armstrong, who chaired the IARC breast-screening working group said: "A quality screening programme done every two years in women aged 50 to 69 will reduce the risk of breast cancer. It would be reasonable for health services to expect a fall in mortality from breast cancer of some 20 per cent in the long term."
The latest figures from Breastcheck, the Republic's national breast-screening programme, suggest it is on target to achieve a 25 per cent reduction in mortality.
In its first 18 months of operation, Breastcheck invited over 67,000 women for mammography; up to 80 per cent have come forward, leading to a detection rate of 8.5 cancers per 1,000 women screened.
Approval from IARC for screening programmes comes following suggestions by some experts that the negative aspects of screening such as false alarms and unnecessary surgery outweigh the benefits.
But further backing for breast screening came from the European Breast Screening Conference in Barcelona. Dr Robin Wilson of Nottingham City Hospital told the conference: "Current evidence based on actual screening outcomes strongly supports its effectiveness".
Prof Valerie Beral, another member of the working group, said of mammography: "It's not a foolproof method, but it does save a certain number of lives."
At present, screening in the Republic is offered to women aged 50 to 64. There are plans to extend the age range to 70 and also to widen the programme beyond the midlands and east where Breastcheck has operated since its inception.