BreastScreen pause operation and mammogram on NSW and ACT during COVID lockdown

Breast cancer support groups have raised concerns that women may die of preventable cancer if they are denied long-term access to regular Breast Screen mammogram appointments.

Centers in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak and it is unknown when they will reopen.

The Australian Breast Cancer Network has expressed concern about its decision and policy and advocacy officers. Vicky Darston said it could have disastrous consequences.

“We know that the best results for diagnosing breast cancer are early detection,” she said.

“For many of the currently preventable and treatable cancer diagnoses, the long-term limitations of breast screen destruction and closure will be replaced by advanced presentations.”

She warned that a long-term closure of BreastScreen’s appointments could lead to death.

“It’s bloody and scary,” she said.

“More than 20,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, and the best outcomes of breast cancer diagnosis are early detection and intervention.”

Mammogram is not a mandatory service

ACT shut down the BreastScreen service as soon as the blockade was announced last week, with all centers suspending reservations later this year.

Salamo Gford, Executive Director of Cancer and Outpatient Assistance at Canberra Health Services, said the decision was made for safety reasons.

“In light of changing COVID-19 conditions in and around ACT, ACT medical facilities have made preventative changes to keep the most vulnerable patients safe and to further protect staff and visitors. “She said in a statement to ABC.

“Breast screening reminders will continue to be processed … Women whose appointments have been canceled will be preferentially rebooked after service is resumed.”

Crossing the New South Wales border, all appointments will be canceled starting tomorrow.

A BreastScreen NSW spokeswoman told ABC that the decision was based on safety and staffing issues.

“This decision was made in response to the increased risk posed by the COVID-19 Delta strain and the need to relocate staff to support pandemic responses in each community health district,” she said. ..

New South Wales Minister of Health Brad Hazard upheld the decision, but he indicated he hoped the appointment would resume soon.

“It’s a matter of weighing the relative risks to patients and staff,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Federal health officials have repeatedly encouraged people to attend medical appointments and stay on top of treatment, even during the blockade.

A spokesman for Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt emphasized that the closure will not affect all states and will call Breastscreen Australia if there are concerns.

“The minister encourages all women to follow up on their appointments when services are resumed,” a spokesman said.

However, ACT and NSW have not set a timeline for when the center will reopen, and Ms. Darston said the decision needs to be overturned as soon as possible.

“We want a balanced approach and we want BreastScreen to be an integral service,” she said.

“We want it to shrink and we want those healthcare professionals to be relocated to screening services as soon as possible,” she said.

What do you say about research?

BreastScreen NSW asked for modeling to see what would happen if all appointments were cancelled.

A spokeswoman for Breastscreen New South Wales said, “The model showed that if a woman appears on the screen after the program resumes, the impact will be minimal.”

“Women who are experiencing breast symptoms need to see their GP without delay to be referred to a diagnostic test, which is the nationally recommended route for women with symptoms.”

But a report published by the Radiation Therapy Advisory Group (RTAG), which represents cancer patient advocates, healthcare providers, and oncology experts, tells another story.

Between January and June of last year, approximately 145,000 screening mammograms were conducted compared to 2018.

BreastScreen reservations were canceled nationwide in March 2020 due to the first outbreak, but women were welcomed in May and the center remained open during the winter blockade in Melbourne.

The report also looked at data from abroad showing that approximately 8,600 British women who missed scans due to COVID-19 restrictions had undetected breast cancer.

RTAG chair Peter O’Brien said many Australian healthcare professionals are worried that normal services will resume, patients present with more advanced cancers, and in some cases, that concern is already real. Said that he was tied.

“Unfortunately, last year’s Victorian state had already seen the negative effects of breast screen closures, and more women with late-stage breast cancer,” he said.

“Continuing breast cancer screening in a safe way for women and staff in a COVID environment is a challenge we must address.”

Did you or anyone you know cancel the Breast Screen appointment? Contact Stephanie Borys at borys.stephanie@abc.net.au