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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 3

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Breast Screening Programme.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Question:

5 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health the action, if any, he intends to take in view of the latest study by the Mater Hospital which found that a national breast screening programme uncovered more than 500 new cases of breast cancer in Irish women every year which otherwise would go undetected while the cure rate amongst women with breast cancer could be substantially improved with the early detection of the disease through a screening programme. [12022/95]

(Limerick East): My Department has supported a major mammographic screening programme at the Mater Foundation. This programme, the Eccles breast screening programme, is part of a network of pilot schemes being carried out within the European Union. The Eccles programme covers a defined catchment area of North Dublin and Cavan-Monaghan and is the first study of its kind undertaken in this country.

The Government of Renewal programme contains an undertaking to expand the Eccles breast screening programme on a phased basis to cover those women in the high risk category nationwide. The second round of screening by the Eccles breast screening programme has been completed and a report on its findings has been submitted to the Department. This report has been independently assessed and subjected to detailed evaluation on behalf of the Department. I will be announcing proposals for the phased expansion of the programme in the coming weeks.

What is meant by the phased expansion of the programme?

(Limerick East): In the first instance, I am talking about following the advice of the medical people who are running the Eccles programme. They are concerned that the issues of sensitivity, specificity and the positive predictive value of the screening would be in place. These are the terms used. Sensitivity would be a measurement of accuracy to avoid false negative results, a 90 per cent sensitivity would mean that in nine out of ten cases the results are accurate. Specificity is the same and is applied in terms of false positive results. The positive predictive value is to ensure that the proportion of people subjected to biopsy as a result of screening, in whom a malignancy is diagnosed, is not magnified by requesting people to go for unnecessary biopsies. The reason for not announcing a national screening programme is not financial, it is to ensure that as it is systematically expanded, the high quality of the results is maintained. This is the medical advice available to us. In terms of expansion I will be able to put in the region of £300,000 extra into the programme and about the same amount into the Mater programme and I hope to have it extended to at least two other areas.

Will one of the two areas be in the mid-west?

(Limerick East): We have not decided on the areas yet.

Is the £300,000 extra, which the Minister will invest, in addition to the £600,000 already invested this year?

(Limerick East): Yes.

When the Minister speaks about extending the programme to two areas does he mean two distinct health board areas serving a large population or two smaller centres?

(Limerick East): Two distinct large areas.

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