The rate of acceptance by women aged 50 and over to attend breast screening tests had risen to 75 per cent, Health Minister Joe Cassar told Parliament yesterday. Since the start of the programme a year ago, 35 women had been diagnosed as being in the early stages of breast cancer and were receiving treatment.

Dr Cassar said that although he was satisfied with the progress, the government would continue to strive for a 100 per cent attendance rate.

Taking part in the programme and taking early steps after diagnosis could change the lives of not only the patient herself, but also her family members, he added.

Although the decision had been taken to start breast screening at the age of 50, any doctor who felt that a patient’s close relatives should be tested before that age could refer them to Mater Dei Hospital for symptomatic breast mammography, which differed from widespread, age-related breast screening.

The same applied to any other woman with the same symptoms.

Answering the original parliamentary question by Anthony Agius Decelis (PL), Minister Cassar said that between January and May this year the number of women undergoing their first mammography had been 488, 453, 221, 454 and 586 respectively. The percentages of women who had presented with the need for further tests were 8.4, 8.6, 19.9, 12.7 and 9.6.

Other tests besides mammography included paddle views, additional X-rays, ultrasound, cytology and core biopsies. Such procedures on individual basis were carried out at the Breast Screening Centre, at Lascaris, by consensus among the experts on the multi-disciplinary team.