Written answers

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Department of Health

Cancer Screening Programmes

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Health when BreastCheck will be extended to women aged 65 to 69; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6949/14]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the pledge to extend BreastCheck to women aged 65 to 69 is not being honoured in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6935/14]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 43 together.

The BreastCheck Programme provides free mammograms to all women aged 50-64. Ireland has improved breast cancer survival rates due to a combined approach of screening, symptomatic detection and improved treatment. Breast cancer 5 year survival is now estimated at 81.8% for people diagnosed between 2003-2007, up from 76.8% for people diagnosed between 1998-2002.

Given the level of funding available, and the competing demands, it was not possible to include the age extension in the HSE's National Service Plan for 2014. The BreastCheck Programme aims to extend the upper age range to include the 65-69 age cohort as soon as possible in line with available resources. A priority of BreastCheck at present is to maximise national uptake in the 50-64 year age cohort and, in 2013, over 144,000 women were screened, compared with 128,800 in 2012.

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