Professor Arnold Hill:

On the question concerning whether people are presenting at a more advanced stage since the onset of Covid-19, we do not have the data yet, as Professor Ó Laoide said. There are anecdotal reports of some patients coming in with more advanced disease, but we must wait until we get the full data in this regard.

The Deputy is correct regarding an information campaign. We are in October, which is breast cancer awareness month. Several information campaigns are running urging people to see their GP if they have any symptoms. Our referrals are certainly up this month. We are busier and that is probably because of the awareness campaigns. That is a good thing from a public health perspective and it is important to keep that message out there. We will have to wait to see the data, though, before we can truly answer the question regarding whether Covid-19 has led to more advanced presentations of breast cancer.