Page 4763 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
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Whilst the percentage of young women diagnosed with breast cancer may be small, the impact is huge. Diagnosis for young women is difficult and often thwarted by the fact that they are perceived as low risk. They are not caught by national screening programs and therefore community awareness of the need for early detection is even more vital. I congratulate the ACT Cancer Council on their Girls Night In events, which raise awareness amongst young women whilst also being a valuable fundraising opportunity. I take this opportunity to note that Brigitte Morten, who has joined the staff in my office, held a Girls Night In event last Friday, in which she raised $300 for the Cancer Council. I congratulate her on that event.
In the ACT we are fortunate to experience one of the highest rates of breast cancer survival in Australia. However, we also experience one of the highest rates of breast cancer diagnosis in Australia. Every year in the ACT, 200 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and one new case in men. A 2008 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report predicted that there would be an increase of 22 per cent in the number of all cancers being diagnosed in the ACT each year. This is a result of not only our growing population but also our ageing population.
BreastScreen ACT and New South Wales exceeded their targets for the number of breast cancer screenings in the 2009-10 financial year. I congratulate them on doing so. Whilst this may be good news for the service, it does not reflect the fact that there are still disturbing gaps in the government’s provision of breast screening. The percentage of women in the target range of 50 to 69 years who have had a breast screen in the past 24 months is unchanged.
In the 2008-09 financial year, only 55 per cent of women in the target range of 50 to 69 years had a breast screen in the past 24 months. In the 2009 financial year, this percentage is unchanged. This is a frightening result given that the average age of first diagnosis for breast cancer is 60, and that 51 per cent of all breast cancer diagnoses occur in this age range. The need for focused policy and awareness of the need for screening in this age range is widely recognised internationally and domestically, but the ACT government has been ineffectual in actually bringing about necessary changes to ensure that this group is receiving adequate services.
Unfortunately, in the same year 70 per cent of women who requested a breast screening appointment did not receive that appointment within 28 days—not only failing ACT Health’s target but failing the women of the ACT. With an increase in the demand and need for these services, along with the highest incidence of breast cancer in Australia, we must be proactive in service provision.
The ACT government have been quick to promote that they are establishing new facilities and investment in digital breast screening technology. However, without the staff for these facilities, their impact on breast screening rates, and therefore survival rates, will be minimal. The ACT Health annual report for 2009-10 states that, with the shortage of radiographers, there will continue to be an impact on waiting time for appointments and assessments for breast screening services. Without a focused effort by the ACT government to train and recruit radiographers in the ACT, there will be little or no gain.
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