A biopsy and a pigmentation machines were this morning presented to the Mater Dei Hospital's Breast Clinic by the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation in a bid to enhance the treatment process breast cancer women go through.

In the past two-and-a-half years, 117 women were diagnosed with breast cancer following screening. Six men were diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

Health Minister Joe Cassar praised the foundation, whose members were sufferers themselves and worked to help people they did not know.

The foundation members, he said, had always set a clear example to the rest of the island.

Chairman Helen Muscat, who the minister described as 'a patient in action' explained that the donations were aimed to benefit women receiving treatment because the foundation wanted to help sufferers through their whole journey of breast cancer care and treatment.

While the biopsy machine takes a sample of the tumour and examines it, providing diagnoses within a week to diagnose them within a week, the pigmentation machine is used to tattoo nipples on reconstructed breasts.

The foundation also donated bras for sufferers with external prosthesis.