As the COVID outbreak continues to take hold across parts of the nation, NSW has shut down its breast screening service.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
BreastScreen NSW announced on Tuesday it would suspend all routine breast screening across NSW because of the outbreak.
Nowra's Sue Gregan is a breast cancer survivor and it was a visit to BreastScreen in Nowra in 2016 that first detected her cancer.
Sue later visited BreastScreen NSW in Wollongong and received all her treatment in the Shoalhaven. She said the closure of BreastScreen NSW services is extremely alarming.
"I would be absolutely devastated if I was waiting for my screen because that waiting is absolutely awful," she said.
"In my opinion it's an essential service and I feel heartbroken for everyone who no longer has access to it."
While a date has not been set for BreastScreen NSW services to return, Sue strongly encouraged everyone with any concerns to see their GP without delay.
"Your GP can guide you in the right direction from there and I want to scream that from the rooftops - don't put it off," she said.
"COVID is of course scaring everyone but breast cancer is one in eight so it's not going away and we need these services."
Sue is now the ambassador for the Shoalhaven Goes Gold and is out to raise funds for the Nowra and Milton-based cancer care centres.
Sue said she feels 'blessed' to have been able to receive her treatment locally and is committed to giving back.
BreastScreen NSW advised the temporary closure allows staff to be redeployed to assist in the management of COVID-19. Anyone with an appointment that was cancelled will have theirs rescheduled when the appointment service re-opens.
BreastScreen NSW commissioned modelling to look at what would happen if they cancelled all appointments.
"The modelling showed that, provided women went on to screen once the program recommenced, the impact was minimal," a spokeswoman for BreastScreen NSW said.
"Women experiencing breast symptoms should see their GP without delay to get a referral for diagnostic testing, which is the national recommended pathway for symptomatic women."
However, a report released by Radiation Therapy Advisory Group (RTAG), which represents cancer patient advocates, healthcare providers and oncology professionals, tells a different story.
Between January and June last year, about 145,000 fewer screening mammograms were conducted compared to 2018.
BreastScreen appointments were cancelled across the country in March 2020 due to the initial outbreak but women were welcomed back in May, and even during Melbourne's winter lockdown, the centres remained open.
The report looked also looked at data from overseas that showed about 8,600 British women who missed a scan due to COVID-19 restrictions have undetected breast cancer.
If you have any questions or require help, please call BreastScreen NSW on 13 20 50.
