London: ‘Breakthrough Breast Cancer’ has released a report that speaks of the elaborate waiting time for test results of breast cancer patients, going up to two years, and this has prompted some women with a family history of breast cancer, to choose surgery rather than wait for confirmation of the risk.
It is possible to have genetic tests done on women in the risk category due to family history for confirmation of the risk so that they can begin early treatment. But now, women don’t want to wait long for the test results, so many are going ahead with surgery and removal of breasts.Breakthrough's Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes expressed that the labs which conduct these tests are overloaded with work and unable to manage the load. The backlog is so huge that it will be cleared only in 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.
A task force needs to be instituted to look into this problem.
