Breast cancer screening to cover more women

5.00pm

The breast cancer screening programme has been extended to cover women between the ages of 45 and 70, Health Minister Annette King said today.

When the programme was set up in 1998 it covered women between the ages of 50 and 64 and the extension will cost about $13.2 million.

Ms King said the announcement represented a "huge advance" for the programme.

"The extension represents a 66 per cent increase in the number of women eligible for screening and could potentially save another 32 lives a year," Ms King said.

Ms King said the previous limit had been set because it was believed the system could not cope with greater numbers, but studies showed there would be a clear benefit in extending the age limit.

"About 240 women aged 45-49 are diagnosed each year with breast cancer, and about 53 of these women will die, With regular screening, women can reduce their risk of dying," Ms King said.

The programme up till now has been available to more than 356,000 women and the extension will mean another 238,000 in the two new age categories will be covered.

The new policy will take effect from July 1.

- NZPA