Access to breast cancer screening still not standard across EU

Date: 03/10/02

By Martin Banks

MEMBER states are being urged to tackle 'significant' differences in the way women are treated for breast cancer.

In the EU, the disease is diagnosed every two-and-a-half minutes and a woman dies from the disease every six-and-a-half minutes. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 35 to 55.

Yet equal access to standard screening and diagnostic facilities is still not available across the bloc, a public hearing at the European Parliament was told on Tuesday (1 October).

Only eight member states have implemented EU guidelines on national mammography screening.

In Germany, one of the seven countries yet to implement the guidelines, the disease affects one in nine women.

German MEP Karin Jons, president of Europa Donna, the European coalition against breast cancer, said mammography screening reduce breast cancer-related deaths by up to 35.

'Successful treatments in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK have proved this for years. Therefore, it is scandalous that in Germany we will not introduce nationwide screening until 2003,' she added.

The Socialist MEP, a member of Parliament's women's rights committee, called for all member states to set up breast cancer treatment centres to bridge the 'significant' gaps in health provision.

Member States are being urged to tackle 'significant' differences in the way women are treated for breast cancer.