Cancer diagnosed after mammograms cleared
Cancer diagnosed after mammograms cleared
Breast Screen SA is in damage control after three women came forward saying they have been diagnosed with cancer since their mammograms were cleared.
Their screenings are among 54,000 being reviewed amid fears of a glitch.
Since SA Health raised the alarm yesterday, the information hotline for those affected has been inundated with more than 230 calls.
Three of those calls were from women reporting they had been diagnosed with breast cancer, since their mammograms were given the all clear.
“At the moment our focus is to find out whether there are any cancers which have escaped detection to date,” said Dr Gelareh Farshid from Breast ScreenSA.
The three women were screened between September 2010 and June 2012 – the time when digital technology was being rolled out.
Breast Screen SA says there was an odd reduction in the rate of detected cancer at the same time, about 100 fewer cases than normal.
About 54,000 images that were cleared will now be reviewed.
The partner of one woman is already seeking legal advice.
She was diagnosed with cancer three months after her screening was cleared, and tomorrow she is going in for a mastectomy.
Lawyer Tim White said if at least seven women come forward, there could be grounds for a class action.
“It causes death and if there has been an error, then that may well be an avenue for compensation,” Mr White said.
Anyone seeking further information or support can contact the information line on 8366 0266 from Monday to Friday between 8am and 7pm or online at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/breastscreenreview.
