Screening body seeks meeting over smear tests

THE NATIONAL Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) is seeking an urgent meeting with Enda Kenny, following a call by Fine Gael for the signing of a smear test contract to be deferred and a claim from the party that thousands of women’s lives are in the balance.

Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly yesterday called on Minister for Health Mary Harney to defer the signing of the contract with US company Quest Diagnostics to analyse 300,000 Irish smear tests a year pending a debate due to take place on the issue in the Dáil next week. The NCSS last night rejected what it said were “unacceptable” claims made by Dr Reilly about the cancer screening programme.

In a statement yesterday, Dr Reilly pointed to a comparative study of over 14,500 Quest smear tests. He said it showed that Quest “had a 30 per cent lower pick-up rate on high-grade pre-invasive cervical cancer than St Luke’s [hospital]”.

He claimed this could see a miss rate of 2,000 women with pre- invasive cervical cancer.

However, the NCSS described these claims as “an overly simplistic interpretation”.

The NCSS has argued that comparing the results of smears sent to Quest last year, when a backlog was outsourced by the HSE, with the results on smears analysed at home was not comparing like with like.

This was because urgent cases, more likely to contain lesions, were dealt with in Irish laboratories.

Last night, Dr Alan Smith, consultant in public health medicine with the NCSS, said that suggesting a high pick-up rate is a good thing is flawed because a positive smear does not automatically mean cervical cancer, but often pre-cancerous changes.

An overcalling of abnormalities could cause needless anxiety for women, he added.

However, Dr Reilly said he was standing over the figures he released yesterday. “A meeting with Mr Kenny would be eminently sensible and no contract should be signed until the air is cleared,” he said last night.

A spokesman for Quest Diagnostics said the company “had no desire to become entangled in an ideological, political debate”.

“We are independently accredited and regulated. Our work has eliminated the six-month backlog Irish women faced in getting a smear test.

“Our selection by the NCSS after a rigorous tendering process means that, for the first time, Irish women will have a national screening service.

“This programme will play a pivotal role in reducing cancer mortality rates and we are proud to be involved,” he added.