At least 10 women may have been diagnosed with breast cancer in more advanced stages or needed more intensive treatment because of mammogram delays last year, a review has found.
Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand had said the patients waited longer than the normal two-month period between enrolment into Breast Screen Central (BSC) to being offered a mammogram.
The national service said the review, launched by the now-defunct Hutt Valley and Capital and Coast District Health Boards last year, initially focused on 59 patients - before being narrowed down to 10 cases "where it was deemed possible that the delay could have adversely affected the outcome for that person".
For all of the 10 cases, "earlier screening for these people may have meant their cancer was diagnosed at a less advanced stage or required less intensive treatment", the review found.
Te Whatu Ora interim hospital and specialist services lead Jamie Duncan said the review couldn't determine what the exact effect would've been on the patients had they been screened earlier.
"Breast cancers and their treatments are complex and our review was not able to identify with any certainty what impact earlier screening would have had on the diagnosis and treatment of each of the 10 people identified.
"The review did find, however, that earlier screening for these people may have meant their cancer was diagnosed at a less advanced stage or required less intensive treatment.
"We sincerely apologise again to everyone who experienced a delay in being offered a timely mammogram through BSC.
"Since becoming aware of this issue we have cleared the backlog of people awaiting mammogram appointments, and have ensured that 90 percent of people enrolled in BSC are offered an appointment within 60 working days."
Meanwhile, a separate Te Whatu Ora review of the national breast screening programme has found more focus was needed on improving access and experiences for Pacific women and wāhine Māori.
Te Whatu Ora said the main focus of the national review was to improve screening access as well as experiences and outcomes for women. Twenty-six recommendations were made as a result.
"The recommendations relate to governance; monitoring, research and evaluation; workforce; consumer involvement, clinical and quality safety; and identification and reporting," the national health service said. "The review found that breast screening services continue to play a critically important role in helping to improve outcomes, reduce recovery times and prevent women from dying from breast cancer.
"Women who access the national breast cancer screening programme have a 34 percent reduction in their risk of breast cancer death."
