Breast cancer wait times: Cairns women waiting up to four months for mammograms

Women are being forced to consider “flying or dying” as they wait up to four months to get a mammogram following the temporary closure of a critical service in Far North Queensland.

Sarah Sexton is frustrated that Queensland X Ray mammography services in Cairns have been stopped due to lack of funding and qualified staff, leaving women to wait four months or more to receive a mammogram scan. Picture: Brendan Radke

Women are being forced to consider “flying or dying” as they wait up to four months to get a mammogram following the temporary closure of a critical service in Far North Queensland.

Privateradiology provider, Queensland X-Ray, “temporarily” suspended its diagnostic mammography services in November 2024, leaving I-MED Radiology as the only screening facility covering Cairns to the Cape.

Cairns Hospital outsources diagnostic breast cancer services to private clinics in the region to balance the demand on imaging services.

This means asymptomatic women are paying at least $600 per appointment to be diagnosed.

For those who can’t afford it, the only option is to be referred from their GP to the hospital, who then refer the patient back to a private imaging service, such as I-MED.

Cairns Hospital outsources diagnostic breast cancer services to private clinics in the region to balance the demand on imaging services Picture: Brendan Radke

But women are still forced to wait at least four months before they can receive the crucial diagnostic scans, which include ultrasounds, mammograms and CT scans.

Sarah Sexton, 38 of Cairns, travelled to Brisbane in mid-2024 for a mammogram after being told she would face an up to nine-week delay.

Ms Sexton said the current shortage is unforgivable and governments should work together to find a temporary solution until a permanent outcome is delivered.

“I had no choice but to fly to Brisbane,” she said.

“There’s a saying around town which is ‘fly-or-die’, because we can’t get basic services here.”

The Cairns businesswoman said wait times were so long in Cairns it felt like a “life-or-death” decision.

“Preventive care is crucial, and we need to catch these things early,” Ms Sexton said.

Born with cystic fibrosis — an incurable condition which clogs the lungs and digestive system with sticky mucus — Ms Sexton received a lung transplant in 2013.

She continues to rely on a combination of medications to prevent her body from rejecting the donor organs and has since developed diabetes and kidney failure.

Determined to remain positive and a “fighter”, even after a hysterectomy and bowel cancer Ms Sexton said the wait times for screenings had caused her “unnecessary” anxiety.

“For someone with my health conditions being immunocompromised, waiting that long was risky. It’s not just inconvenient, it’s dangerous,” she said.

Sarah Sexton, 38 of Cairns, who is immunocompromised after a lung transplant, travelled to Brisbane in mid-2024 for a mammogram after being told she would face a six-to-nine week wait locally — before the closure in November 2024. Picture: Brendan Radke.

Ms Sexton’s general practitioner found a lump in her breast last year and despite her history of cancer, was told she wouldn’t be eligible for a free mammogram because she was under 40.

After calling both clinics in Cairns, she found the earliest she would be seen was a minimum six-week wait with Queensland X-Ray for a biopsy, which was pushed out further to nine weeks total.

Ms Sexton instead chose to fly to Brisbane, spending about $300 on return flights to secure a faster screening.

“I called a clinic in Brisbane and they said ‘We can fit you in today’, but as I wasn’t living there I needed time to get down,” she said.

“A few days later I was down for my appointment, I stayed at a friend’s place to make it more affordable.

“It’s just crazy that I had to leave my home just to get basic healthcare.”

Cairns double lung transplantee Sarah Sexton celebrates her five year “lungiversary”. Picture: Supplied.

Currently, women must meet specific risk factors to qualify for Medicare-funded screenings before the age of 40.

Private scans can cost anywhere from $600 to more than $800, Ms Sexton said.

Despite her ongoing healthcare challenges, Ms Sexton said she doesn’t want to live anywhere else but Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Sexton said the current age restriction for mammograms were outdated and dangerous.

“The government should allow women of all ages to get screened, especially if they’re concerned or have a history of cancer,” she said.

Despite her ongoing healthcare challenges, Ms Sexton said she doesn’t want to live anywhere else but Cairns.

“The thing is, you need your support system around you at these channelling times. All my family and friends live here, even though it means frequent travel to Brisbane for medical care,” she said.

“The system needs to change. Women shouldn’t have to choose between flying or dying.”

Originally published as Breast cancer wait times: Cairns women waiting up to four months for mammograms