Free breast screening 'should begin at 40'

A renowned fashion designer and a magazine editor presented a petition at Parliament yesterday calling on ministers to lower the age of free breast screening to 40.

Designer Kate Sylvester and Next magazine editor Susannah Walker said more than 3000 signatures had been collected.

"Breast cancer is the number two killer of women in New Zealand, behind heart disease," Ms Walker said.

"New Zealand has the sixth highest death rate from breast cancer among developed countries, and its crucial that we act to change that."

Last year the Government extended the breast screening programme to cover women aged between 45 and 70, previously it had been limited to women aged 50 to 64.

The Breast Cancer Action Trust presented a petition of 124,000 signatures to the Government in November 2003, which called for the breast cancer screening programme to be extended to 40 to 70-year-olds.

A subsequent Health Select Committee recommended extending the screening age upwards, but not downwards to include 40 to 44-year-olds, because of a lack of evidence that it would be worth while.

Ms Walker said the women met yesterday with Health Minister Annette King, who said the Government would wait to see results from a trial being conducted in the UK, which is investigating whether lowering the screening age to 40 is feasible.

"If there is evidence to show it would be justified, they are committed to exploring that to make it happen," Ms Walker said.

Joining the women was Rebecca Wadey, who works for Ms Sylvester and is a breast-cancer survivor.

Ms Wadey was only 26 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and said it was important to raise awareness that the disease also effected young women.