Women in Denmark at risk of developing cervical cancer are being lost in the health system, according to a new report from the health services.
The latest report, which evaluates the Danish screening program using nine standards incorporated in 2008, shows that Danish screening programs for cervical cancer fail to live up to expectations.
Every fifth woman isn’t recalled for a new test in time when initial tests prove lacking or if signs of cervical cancer are found.
“It’s catastrophic. There are far too many that fail to live up to the standards,” Iben Holt, a doctor from cancer advocate organisation Kræftens Bekæmpelse, told Metroxpress newspaper.
“When a woman is tested, she must be able to expect that she proceeds through the system if the tests show something.”
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Poor results
Holt underlined that 4.7 percent of women with the most serious cellular changes are called in too late.
The health authority Sundhedsstyrelsen contends the problems will be alleviated by the new electronic system that was incorporated in 2012, but that the effect won’t be tangible until the next annual report.