Cancer controversy: key dates

August 15th: Director of nursing at Portlaoise raised concerns about 10 "false positive" mammograms.

August 29th: The HSE informed the Department of Health and the Minister for Health that following the concerns raised, it had ceased the provision of breast radiology services at Portlaoise, placed a consultant radiologist on administrative leave and set up a review of all breast radiology diagnoses at the hospital in the period from November 2003 to August 2007.

August 31st: The news became public and the HSE told patients there was "no need for concern".

September 3rd: The HSE said the review would cover 3,000 mammograms carried out at the hospital.

November 2nd: It emerged that seven of the women whose mammograms had been reviewed had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

November 7th: It emerged a surgeon in the hospital had expressed concerns about the radiological service at the hospital as far back as July 2005, pointing in particular to inexperienced staff.

Today: Six women, whose files were reviewed, still await the results of tests to see if they were misdiagnosed.

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times