Concern over breast cancer screening uptake

Only one in three women aged 45 to 49 years who are eligible for public health breast cancer screening are taking up the opportunity.

National associate health spokeswoman Jackie Blue is concerned about the low uptake.

She has asked written questions to find out what has happened since Breastscreen Aotearoa was extended to include women aged 45-49 years.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson said that in the 24 months to December 2006, 35.8 per cent of women in the 45-49 age group had been screened.

In the 50-64 year age group, 62 per cent of eligible women were screened, and in the 65-69 age group 60.3 per cent were screened.

Dr Blue said the target was for 70 per cent screening of all eligible women.

"For women aged 45-49, this is a Clayton's programme," she said.

"While breast cancer is more common later in life, younger women get more aggressive and faster-growing cancers."

The statistics also show that coverage of Maori and Pacific women is significantly lower than the overall breast screening rate of the general female population and other ethnic groups.

In the two years to December 2006, the overall breast screening rate for women aged 50-69 was 61.7 per cent.

But the coverage rate of eligible Maori women aged 50-69 was 41.6 per cent and that of Pacific women in the same age group was 41.2 per cent.

There were regional differences too. As at December 2006, coverage for Maori ranged from 33 per cent in the MidCentral District Health Board area to 67 per cent in Canterbury.

From December 2004 to December 2005, Canterbury's BreastScreen South Ltd was the first breast screening provider in the world to attain the coverage target of 71.9 per cent for an indigenous population, the minister said.