Health would expand access to breast cancer screening

He Ministry of Health moved this Thursday to Maria Varela, patient of breast cancer metastatic at 43 years old, his commitment to expanding access to breast cancer screening from 45 to 74 years old, in line with scientific evidence, a recommendation that could be published at the end of the year if the autonomous communities give their approval.

“I leave happy“, he highlighted in an interview with Europa Press after meeting with the general director of Public Health and Health Equity of the Ministry of Health, Pedro Gullónand with the deputy director general of Health Promotion and Prevention, Estefanía García.

As detailed by Varela, who registered at the beginning of March 65,000 signatures to demand early mammograms at age 40ministerial officials have admitted that Spain is “deficient” in breast cancer screening, compared to European countries. Currently, the mammography recommendation in Spain is aimed at women between 50 and 69 years old.

For this reason, they have committed to promoting this line of work, which they already have active, and bringing the expansion proposal to the Public Health Commission in May. After that, it would have to go through the Benefits, Insurance and Financing Commission and then be put to a vote by the autonomous communities in the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS).

In parallel, Health has agreed to collect detailed data on breast cancer patients in Spain to find out if the evidence points to the possibility of further reducing the age of access to tests, to 40 years, as Varela claims.

“I am happy because it is a very important basis to continue talking and dialoguing about the issue of breast cancer, because the screening program dates back to 1990, so it is clear that “It is an obsolete program and it has to be modified.”he highlighted.

“Always hand in hand with scientific evidence”

The Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, has confirmed in statements to the media before the CISNS plenary session the layout of your apartment to review together with the autonomous communities the breast cancer screening protocolswith a view to advancing the age at which mammograms begin.

“We are evaluating and we are constantly pursuing scientific evidence. I believe that we are a ministry that always goes hand in hand with scientific evidence and the protocols have to be based on which is the target population for which these protocols can be more effective and more efficient,” he indicated.

In this sense, he stated that there are “many reflections” about advancing the age of screening. However, he highlighted that Spain has a “very consolidated” breast cancer screening program that is “very effective.”