Cancer test delays force woman into surgery

London: Some women with a family history of breast cancer are opting to have surgey rather than wait uo to two years for test result which would confirm whether they are at risk, a charity said yesterday.
A report by Breakthrough Breast Cancer said waiting times for test results have risen for three yeasr to reach an average six months, well above the goverment's two month target. Women wiht relatives who had breast cancer can take genetic tests to check whether they are at a higher risk of developing the diseas and could receive early treatment. "Some feel forced to have their breasts removed without knowing their results, simply because they are too worried to wait any longer," the charity said. Break-through's Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes said laboratories where the tests are checked are struggling to cope with the workload. A baclog of tests in london won't be cleared until the end of 2007."It is unacceptable that women are forced to put their lives on hold as they wait so long to get these vital test results,"he said.
About 4,500 women who fear they have a heightened risk of breast cancer have the egenetic tests each year. Hughes had no figures for the number who choose to have breast removal surgey rather than wait for the results. Reuters