Up to 270 women died after computer error saw thousands denied breast screening in UK

Up to 270 women in Britain may have died as a result of a major NHS computer error which saw 450,000 denied breast cancer screening.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced an independent inquiry into breast cancer screening after the emergence of the blunders, affecting older women due screening since 2009, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The NHS screens all women between the ages of 50 and 70 for breast cancer every three years. They should receive a letter from their GP about the test which aims to catch cancer early, when it is easier to treat.

But around 450,000 women aged 68 and over did not receive an invitation for screening. Since then, around 150,000 have since died, many of other illnesses.

But in a statement Hunt said up to 270 women may have had their lives cut short by the blunders.

Around one in eight women in the UK are diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime, according to the health service.

Hunt told the Commons that he had been made aware of a "serious failure" in the national Breast Screening Programme in England.

He said: "The latest estimates I have received from PHE is that, as a result of this between 2009 and the start of 2018, an estimated 450,000 women aged between 68 and 71 were not invited to their final breast screening.

"Health Secretary tells MPs between 135 and 270 women may have had their lives shortened after missing a routine breast screening invitation due to IT error #PMQs https://t.co/gziyDi6WQD pic.twitter.com/kftv5Eg6AP

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 2, 2018

"At this stage, it is unclear whether any delay in diagnosis will have resulted in any avoidable harm or death, and that is one of the reasons I am ordering an independent review to establish the clinical impact."

Hunt told MPs that estimates suggest "there may be between 135 and 270 women who have had their lives shortened as a result. I am advised it is unlikely to be more than this range and may be considerably less."

"However, tragically, there are likely to be some people in this group who would have been alive today if the failure had not happened," he added.

Among the 309,000 women being contacted, some will have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, including terminal cases, he said.

Hunt said he was commissioning an "independent review of the NHS breast screening programme" to look at issues including its processes, IT systems and further changes and improvements "to minimise the risk of any repetition".

The review, expected to report in six months, will be chaired by Lynda Thomas, the chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, and leading oncologist Professor Martin Gore.