The members of the Breast Care Support Group have been following the discussion about breast cancer screening. We would like to clear up a popular misconception.

There are currently two NGOs working in the field of breast health: the Breast Care Support Group (BCSG), headed by Gertrude Abela, who recently took over the presidency from Jackie Vassallo, and the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) headed by Helen Muscat.

There is no group called the Breast Cancer Support Group as referred to by Prof. Cilia-Vincenti (The Sunday Times, August 24).

Both groups work to increase breast awareness and work closely. ABCF is a pressure group which lobbies for mammographic screening and free access to anti-cancer drugs such as Herceptin. BCSG is a support group offering practical information and support to women affected by breast cancer.

With regard to the ongoing debate about screening, Joe Psaila (August 3) and Nadine Delicata (August 17) have already made a strong case for a national mammographic screening programme. As a patient group, we leave it to the experts to provide scientific evidence that early detection can save lives. However, the majority of our members are breast cancer survivors who are well aware that they are only here today because they caught their cancer at an early stage.

We would like more women to be able to say the same, which is why we campaign for women (and men too, since men can also get breast cancer) to carry out regular breast self-examinations and, in the absence of a screening programme, to arrange to have regular mammograms. The group can be contacted on 9999 4666, at breastcaresupportgroup@gmail. com or by visiting bebreastaware.org.