The Director of Clinical Affairs at the Irish Cancer Society has said it is "very disappointing" that the national screening programme for breast cancer looks set to miss its screening target for a third year in a row.
Amy Nolan urged women who are eligible for screening to make sure they do so, saying it is "simple to do".
This year's target for BreastCheck - which screens symptom-free women aged 50-69 - was 219,000, but it is expected that just 170,000 will be screened.
Ms Nolan asked those who cannot attend their appointments to let BreastCheck know so that the appointment can be given to somebody else.
Speaking to RTÉ's Today with Philip Boucher-Hayes, she said they need to consider reducing the age range to 45, which is what the Irish Cancer Society is calling for.
"We know women are being diagnosed at a younger age now and we really see the value and the benefit of identifying those cancers at a younger age," she added.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Ms Nolan said the lack of radiographers is a "worldwide problem" and the HSE embargo in 2023 had a "big impact" on that issue here.
She said there are also staffing issues on day wards where patients receive cancer treatments, so there would be a "huge economic benefit" to diagnosing women earlier with less treatment modalities required.
She said that if women have any concerns, they do not need to wait for the letter from BreastCheck and seek help.
"We are absolutely working to the hilt trying to get people through ... but we need more resources"
Speaking on the same programme, Dr Janice Walsh, a consultant medical oncologist at St Vincent's and Tallaght hospitals, said this is the culmination of "a couple of pauses" during the Covid-19 period.
She said that during that period, many symptomatic patients were being funnelled through BreastCheck to be evaluated.
"We have a shortage of radiographers, which is a worldwide issue, but the big one is our rising population," she explained.
"We are flying up in terms of the number of people that are in the country and as a result of that comes a greater need to screen our women.
"We are absolutely working to the hilt trying to get people through ... but we need more resources.
"That is the ongoing issue.
"We know that the detection rate in Ireland through screening is through very high. We detect about eight or nine per thousand and in other European countries we see about seven per thousand so it really works for us."
Fewer than 70% accept appointment for first mammogram
Dr Walsh said less than 70% of women accept an appointment for their first mammogram, adding that there are also geographical issues to consider.
"In Vincent's we have a very high uptake in terms of people coming for their first one and yet in other areas, where people are maybe not feeling they can take the time off work, there is lower uptake, so that's something we need to focus on," she said.
In a statement, BreastCheck the screening uptake was 78% for Q2 of this year.
Dr Walsh urged women not to be afraid to attend their appointments.
Read more: BreastCheck misses screening targets for second year running
"The treatments, in many cases, have been de-escalated, so a lot of people don't need chemotherapy," she said.
"I think the one thing that people will say is 'what I don't know won't hurt me' but we know that that is clearly not true.
"This is not a scary process. The people involved in this are very compassionate, they deal with it every day.
"Come and have your mammogram, it's the best public health measure you can do. It's for free and very little feels for free these days."
You can register at BreastCheck.ie from the age of 48 and screening commences from the age of 50. For those who do not want to check online, you can phone 1800 45 45 55.
