The targets the government set to bring down waiting lists for women with a suspected breast cancer have inadvertently harmed patients according to a new report. In an attempt to bring down waiting lists the government said that all suspected breast cancers or “urgent” cases should be seen by a specialist within 2 weeks.

The problem is that identifying “urgent” and “non-urgent” cases is impossible – clinical observations simply cannot tell whether a lump is a cancer is not.

The study of 25,000 urgent and non-urgent referrals found that the number of urgent referrals had increased – but the proportion of urgent cases with a diagnosis of cancer had actually fallen. Conversely in the non-urgent group, although the overall number of cases fell, the proportion of cancer diagnoses increased.

A research team at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol published the figures in the British Medical Journal last week. The researchers said that the findings were alarming. The government is working to improve the situation but stressed there will always be a few women that are missed and are picked up either by the screening programme or when they are being investigated for another medical condition.

Frenchay hospital has employed extra staff in order for all women to be seen within 2 weeks as is the overall aim for the health service.