The authorities in Ireland have published new statistics about how the pandemic has reduced the number of women who have undergone breast cancer screening, according to a report posted in the Irish Examiner.
Out of 70,000 women invited to breast cancer screening through Ireland's BreastCheck program, 46,000 have attended, representing a rate of nearly 66%, but the program has screened almost 140,000 fewer women this year than planned, noted National Screening Service (NSS) chief executive Fiona Murphy in the Examiner article posted on 10 December.
The pandemic has also affected cervical cancer screening: Half of women who would have had cervical cancer testing have missed the exam due to lockdown conditions, and 81,000 fewer people have had an annual bowel cancer screening exam, the Examiner said.
