The number of women accepting Health Department invitations for breast screening increased substantially in the past three years after having fluctuated around the halfway mark since the free service was introduced in 2009.

Data given in parliament on Wednesday shows that so far this year, 10,211 women went for screening. 11,417 invitations were issued.

The figures for the previous years were as follows.

Data given by the health minister.Data given by the health minister.

Although last year saw the third largest number of women who turned up for screening, the number of cancer detections rose to a record 100.

81 were detected between January and October this year, joint second highest with 2015, when the data referred to the full year.

The information was given by Health Minister Chris Fearne in reply to a question by Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg

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