Cork woman diagnosed with breast cancer after all-clear mammogram calls for urgent changes to screening process

A Cork woman who was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer last year, despite receiving an all-clear mammogram in 2020 and 2024, is calling for urgent changes to be made to the breast cancer diagnostic process.
Laurna Quirke was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer back in July 2025. “My cancer was not detected early because I had dense breasts which masked the mass,” she explains.
In Ireland, women who attend mammograms are not routinely informed whether they have dense or non-dense breasts. There’s no way for women to know what type of breasts they have, as this can only be read on a mammogram, Laurna says.
Breast density is a risk factor for developing breast cancer and makes tumours more difficult to find on mammograms because dense breasts show up white on mammograms, as does cancer, Laurna explains.
Laurna is telling her story to raise awareness of the #TellMeMyBreastDensity campaign.
“We just want women to be told this information with their mammogram results. Women have the right to their own personal information about their bodies. We are calling on the Minister for Health to bring in standardised breast density notification for all women in Ireland with their mammogram results.
“I believe a national campaign is needed to educate women about breast density and it should then be part of the current breast health campaign, which is a huge success, it has saved many lives.”
Roughly 75,000 women who were screened in 2025 will have dense breasts, which is 43% of the total number of women screened.

Laurna’s journey started 20 years ago when she found a lump in her right breast. “I was sent to the Bon Secours hospital. They did a biopsy and it was benign thankfully.”
In 2020, she went back to her GP as Laurna felt her right breast felt different. While there was no hard lump, she was worried as it just didn’t feel right to her. She went for a mammogram and ultrasound in Cork University Hospital (CUH), and while they didn’t detect anything wrong with her right breast, they discovered a cyst on her left breast which they drained that day.
“The consultant advised me to take 3,000mg of Evening Primrose Oil. I followed this advice, but life happened. I had two young kids and work was very busy, it was a very fast-paced stage of life.”
By the time 2024 rolled around, Laurna had moved to a new area and attended a new GP after she felt a low, flat bump on her right breast. “It just felt wrong. I was absolutely exhausted. I was wondering if it was perimenopause, eventually we concluded that it could be burnout from work.”
She was sent for another mammogram and ultrasound in CUH, where a small cyst was detected on the right breast. “They said it was so small it didn’t need to be drained. The advice was to take Evening Primrose Oil. I said I had tried that but it didn’t seem to be working, I was told to take Starflower Oil instead. Because the mammogram was clear, I was sent home.”

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Laurna started HRT and the Starflower Oil, but she went back to her GP in June last year as the lump had gotten bigger. She was sent back to CUH where she had a biopsy. Two weeks later, she received her results: she had breast cancer. “I was hoping it was just a cyst. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t good.
“You are just dealt this massive blow, it’s so hard to process. You think, ‘How do I tell my kids, how do I tell my mother’.”
Laurna got more scans such as a contrast MRI, and her tumour was mapped. Initially, her treatment plan was for a single mastectomy, but Laurna told her doctors she wanted a double. In September last year, she underwent surgery, and biopsies revealed the cancer has spread to some of her lymph nodes, which also had to be removed.
The tumour itself was 12x8cm, and she was told she had stage three cancer. “They placed breast expanders in my chest, which will prepare my muscle and skin for reconstruction surgery, which will hopefully happen within the next year.
After the surgery, Laurna began her treatment. “I started five months of chemotherapy and 15 sessions of radiotherapy. The staff were very caring, but the service overall needs to change.”

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Laurna adds that she’s still recovering from her treatment. “I am out of work, my hair is only growing back now. The fatigue is huge. But I am getting stronger, so now is the right time to speak out. I need other women to know about breast density.”
Laurna never knew she had dense breasts until after her diagnosis, which is a common theme among other breast cancer patients she’s spoken to.
“This impacts our health decisions. If I had known I had dense breasts, I could have had different tests, imaging or scans in 2020 or 2024. I might have only needed a lumpectomy, rather than ending up with stage three cancer.”
Breast density is also genetic, which is crucial for women to know so they can be monitored carefully, Laurna adds. “If a doctor takes your blood pressure, they wouldn’t let you walk out the door without telling you you have high blood pressure. We need to know. There is trialled and tested software available that would allow radiologists to record a digital note.”
Mentally, the diagnosis has been challenging for Laurna. While she’s done talk therapy, she feels like she’s only starting to process everything now. “My life has been turned upside down, this has had a significant impact on my family also. I don’t know if I will get five, ten, 20 years, I only know for certain that I will forever be worried about whether this will return.
“I [should have had] 10 years of perimenopause, which would have naturally come before menopause. I am in induced menopause now, which has quite intense symptoms.
“I got a puppy, and I was looking at the dog, thinking, ‘Is he going to die first, or am I?’ You just feel robbed.”

In response, the HSE said: “While no screening programme can detect every cancer, BreastCheck performs well against international standards and is achieving its purpose of reducing the impact of breast cancer across the population. Some cancers will not be visible on a mammogram and some develop between mammograms. Many cancers are successfully detected through routine mammography in women with dense breasts, and not all breast cancers that are not detected through screening occur in women with dense breasts.
“BreastCheck is for women aged 50 to 69 who do not have symptoms of breast cancer. We do not measure and record breast density or routinely offer additional tests such as ultrasound or MRI during breast screening. We do provide additional tests for women who have a ‘not normal’ result from their initial mammogram.”
The HSE said women with breast cancer symptoms follow a different clinical pathway. “A GP can arrange referral to a breast clinic, where further assessment may include additional images such as mammogram, ultrasound, CT or MRI. The radiologist reports on the findings relevant to the woman’s care, which may include density.  This is particularly true for women under the screening age range, when density is more prevalent.
 “Breast Density is one of many risk factors for breast cancer. Some women may be referred for specialist breast assessment because of a strong family history of breast cancer. These women may have imaging before they become eligible for BreastCheck and may receive different investigations, including density readings, based on their level of risk.
“Finally, being breast aware means being aware of what is normal for you and checking with your GP if you notice any change that is unusual for you. If a woman notices a lump, a change in her breast, nipple changes, skin changes, persistent breast pain, or anything else that concerns her, she should contact her GP. Your GP will discuss your symptoms and decide whether other tests are needed.”

The Department of Health said the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) is the independent expert group that provides advice to the Minister for Health on any proposed changes to Ireland’s screening programmes.
“At the request of NSAC, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has commenced a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to consider proposals for the expansion of the BreastCheck programme.
“This review comprises two elements with three distinct components; the proposed extension of the age range eligibility to those aged 45-49 and 70-74, and the potential introduction of a standardised breast density notification.
“HTAs facilitate the assessment of relevant evidence and knowledge on the effects and consequences of healthcare technologies to guide decisions regarding the appropriate use of technology and efficient allocation of resources. They involve a multi-disciplinary assessment of the clinical, economic, ethical, legal and societal perspectives that may be impacted by the introduction of a new technology.
“HTAs are time intensive and rigorous processes that must be afforded the necessary amount of time to complete. It is expected that the final HIQA HTA report will be submitted to the NSAC before the end of 2027. Once received, NSAC will consider the findings and make a recommendation to the Minister for decision.”