Anabel Cano believed she had escaped cancer after undergoing a routine mammogram in Andalusia, trusting the region’s public health system to alert her if anything was wrong. Nearly a year later, she awoke from a mastectomy with her world altered forever, feeling betrayed by a system that promised reassurance but delivered silence. She is now one of hundreds of women caught in a widening breast cancer screening scandal that has stunned Spain and raised urgent questions about systemic negligence.

For years, follow-up tests and monitoring were neglected after inconclusive mammograms, leaving unsuspecting women to believe they were safe while cancer silently advanced. Cano, a 52-year-old former housekeeper, was told after her November 2023 mammogram that “no news” meant she was fine. Months passed with no communication. When a new test was finally scheduled, it revealed the truth: the disease had been growing all along. The delay cost her a breast—and possibly much more.

Now, as victims share harrowing stories and demand accountability, confidence in Andalusia’s healthcare oversight has been badly shaken. Cano’s voice echoes the fear and anger felt across the region: if early intervention could have changed her outcome, how many more women were left vulnerable by the same system? Visit www.jocomms.com for more news