SIX women who were given the all clear after breast cancer screening have been told they have the disease following an investigation.

Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUHT) has said six out of 30 women seen at the Oxfordshire Breast Screening Service at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital had been diagnosed.

It comes after an independent review of 624 women assessed from 2011 to 2014 at the Headington hospital.

Only those who had follow-up checks were affected.

Of those, 30 were urgently recalled in August as hospital managers launched a serious incident investigation.

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Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust medical director Dr Tony Berendt said the six were now undergoing treatment and had received an apology from the trust.

All involved an assessment by one radiologist, who is still working at the trust but has not undertaken assessments since investigations began.

He said: “Regrettably, following further tests, six women have received a diagnosis of breast cancer.

“Our priority has been to ensure that we have picked up all breast abnormalities and investigated them thoroughly.

“We, of course, recognise the impact of this issue for all concerned, and we are extremely sorry that as part of this extensive review six women have received a diagnosis of breast cancer.”

He said: “An investigation is being undertaken in line with the relevant trust procedures There is no conclusion yet.”

Investigations began when five women developed breast cancer having been given the all clear after assessment.

The trust said “there was no concern about the assessment process” for one of those women. The five were in addition to the six recently diagnosed.

Dr Berendt said the trust did “recognise the anxiety that this review could cause” but said there was “no concerns” about the screening programme.

Oxford Mail:

  • Dr Tony Berendt 

A separate investigation has also been conducted by Public Health England and the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Public Health England’s Sue Cohen said women “should continue to attend their breast screening appointments”.

Katie Breeze, spokeswoman for NHS England (Thames Valley), which commissions the screening, said the trust had carried out a “robust review” and “appropriate action has been taken”.

Director of Abingdon-based charity Against Breast Cancer Wendy Taylor Hill said: “Early diagnosis is very important for the treatment of all cancers.

“With breast cancer the earlier you diagnose it the easier it is to treat.

“So many women have been saved from a much more serious disease because of early diagnosis.”

Banbury breast cancer survivor Catherine Kettlewell, 35, said the results were “really shocking and alarming”.

The Banbury fashion shop owner, who had tumours removed from both breasts in November 2012, said her mammogram missed her tumour. She said: “I can imagine lots of lumps get missed.”

AFFECTED

  • THE only women affected are those who have been assessed in the past three years and then offered an early repeat breast screening assessment. The trust said there should be no ongoing concerns following the investigation into the process. 

    STATISTICS
     
  • MAMMOGRAMS are carried out by the breast screening service and are now being read by two radiologists instead of one. Women aged 50 to 70 are invited for breast screening every three years and more than 73,000 have been seen in the last three years. Of these, 4,000 were invited back for further assessment and each year about 520 county women are diagnosed and 115 die.

     

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