Lower age for breast tests urged

Breast cancer campaigners say compelling evidence exists to show why women should get free mammography exams from the age of 40.

The Government has just extended the free breast-cancer screening programme to women aged 45 to 70, but campaigners said yesterday that this did not go far enough.

Parliament's health select committee heard from Tim and Debbie Short on their petition, signed by 124,000 people, urging that the programme be available from 40.

Health Minister Annette King said this week that there was clear evidence of the benefit of extending the age range upwards but there was less conclusive evidence for extending the age limit down.

Yesterday, Auckland breast physician Jackie Blue told the select committee that new data from the Auckland breast cancer study group showed that women in the 40-44 age group had more aggressive, grade-three cancers than women in their late 40s and were more likely to have positive lymph nodes.

These features conveyed a worse outlook for the women.

"The logic of stopping at 45 years confounds and baffles me."

Auckland breast surgeon John Harman said he had been advocating free breast cancer screening for women from age 40 for years.

Some women believed they were not at risk of breast cancer because the screening programme, until now, did not start until they were 50, he said.

The breast cancer cure rate in Australia was 30 per cent better than in New Zealand and free screening had been available there to women 40 to 70 for about 14 years.

- NZPA