The Health Service Executive (HSE) has set up a special GP referral process for women who are concerned about tests for breast cancer carried out in the last two years.
The announcement came this evening after Minister for Health Mary Harney announced a review of services at Ennis General Hospital, following the deaths of two women who were misdiagnosed and who subsequently died from breast cancer.
In a statement, the HSE said it recognised that many women who had attended hospital symptomatic breast clinics in the past two years, and who were diagnosed as not having the disease, were now seeking reassurance as to the certainty of their original assessment.
“We have every reason to believe that the vast majority of women who were assessed in a hospital breast clinic have received the correct and appropriate assessment,” the HSE said.
The HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme is advising any woman who has concerns and who was evaluated through a hospital symptomatic breast clinic after September 2006 to attend their GP. This does not include patients seen through the Breastcheck programme.
A dedicated GP referral line will be established with the next 24 hours, the HSE said.
“A separate communication will be issued to all GPs providing details of this referral process. Advertisements will be appearing in national newspapers over the coming days confirming this process and advising women...to attend at their GPs.”
The Irish Cancer society welcomed the HSE’s announcement.
It said its national breast cancer helpline had been receiving calls from “hundreds of women expressing fear, distress, and concern about the possible implications for them arising from the untimely deaths of Anne Moriarty and Edel Kelly”.
The society’s chief executive John McCormack said the HSE had responded to its request to allay the fears of these women.
“We welcome the decision of the HSE to set up this rapid access service, located in the eight designated cancer centres, to allow women with concerns the opportunity to have those concerns heard and if necessary, have their cases reinvestigated,” Mr McCormack said.
“This means that they get the highest quality service in these centres and have the opportunity to be reassured that, in their case, all is well.”
The Irish Cancer Society’s helpline can be contacted at 1800 30 90 40.