The NHS was today engulfed by a breast cancer scandal after it was revealed 450,000 women were denied life-saving scans and up to 270 died early after a 'colossal' IT failure lasting almost a decade.

The victims aged between 68 and 71 were never sent letters offering them a final routine breast screening because of an IT error lasting from 2009 until this year.

150,000 of these women have now died and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has admitted between 135 and 270 of them developed breast cancer that shortened their lives.

The remaining 309,000 people still alive will be sent a letter by the end of May asking them to come to hospital for an urgent scan before an anxious wait to hear if they have cancer.

Brian Gough's wife Trixie is among the women who never got a final scan and breast cancer would claim her life days after she turned 76.

The screening programme is run by Public Health England and tests are carried out by NHS hospitals.

Trixie Gough, pictured in the days before her death in 2015, is among 450,00 women who never got a final cancer scan that may have saved her life after a 'colossal' NHS IT failure

Brian Gough's wife Trixie, from Norfolk, pictured together before she fell ill, says he only found out about the scandal today while watching TV

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (pictured in the Commons today) admitted the NHS had made the huge error and ordered an independent inquiry into what went wrong

Mr Gough 'had no idea' about the scandal until he saw Jeremy Hunt's speech on TV today and told MailOnline: 'I was completely gobsmacked and knew straight away Trix was one of the people never given a scan. I'm devastated'.

He added: 'I'm amazed that it has taken them the best part of a decade to spot the problem. It's extraordinary. There are thousands of real people involved in this, people like Trixie, who didn't deserve to lose their lives'.

The glitch was discovered in the AgeX trial, set up by a University of Oxford team in 2009 to find out whether cancers could be diagnosed with extra screenings ‘without undue harm’ in those aged 47 to 49 and 71 to 73.

Around 65 breast cancer units across the country then recruited women from these age groups with the computer programme supposed to select half at random to be given the extra screening.

But a computer glitch that was in the system from the start of the trial meant a large number of the older group had scans cancelled without ever knowing they were going to be arranged.

Mr Gough said he was 'gobsmacked' by the scandal and knew 'straight away' his wife, pictured, had not been given the scan

Mrs Gough pictured on Christmas Day in 2015 three days before she lost her cancer battle

Those participants who did have scans randomly arranged are expected to all be fine.

HOW WAS THE IT GLITCH DISCOVERED? The breast cancer scandal was only discovered thanks to an Oxford University trial into extra breast cancer screening for women. The AgeX trial was set up in 2009 to find out whether cancers could be diagnosed with extra screenings ‘without undue harm’ in those aged 47 to 49 and 71 to 73. Around 65 breast cancer units across the country then recruited women from these age groups with the computer programme supposed to select half at random to be given the extra screening. But a computer glitch that was in the system from the start of the trial meant a large number of the older group had scans cancelled without ever knowing they were going to be arranged. Once the Oxford researchers discovered the error, it soon emerged that the same mistake had affected women in the entire screening programme. Advertisement

Victims who have developed cancer unchecked because of scandal will be entitled to compensation as will the families of those who have lost loved-ones because of the NHS' negligence, Jeremy Hunt said today.

It is not known what the final bill will be but previous negligence cases over cancer diagnosis have led to payouts of between £65,000 and close to £1million.

Cancer charities are incredulous that the NHS failed to spot the 'colossal systematic failure' for almost a decade in a blunder that appears to have led to hundreds of deaths.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive, Breast Cancer Now, said: 'We are extremely concerned to hear that so many women have been let down by such a colossal systematic failure. For those women who will have gone on to develop breast cancers that could have been picked up earlier through screening, this is a devastating error. It is beyond belief that this major mistake has been sustained for almost a decade'.

Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of charity Breast Cancer Care, said: 'Hundreds of thousands of women across England have been failed by this appalling error and some have had their lives shortened as a result.

'It is shocking that almost a decade has passed before this mistake was discovered.

The problems with breast cancer screening date back to 2009 and will raise questions for both the Tories and Labour on why it was not uncovered sooner

'Women affected and their loved ones will be left reeling, both scared and confused. The number one priority now must be to ensure that they get all the support and information they need. This incompetence must not be allowed to happen again.'

Emma Greenwood, Cancer Research UK's director of policy and public affairs, said: 'It's very concerning to learn that so many women have not received an invitation to screening over a prolonged period of time.

'It's worth remembering that many breast cancers are still found by women themselves, outside of the screening programme, so if you notice any unusual changes in your breast see your GP straight away.'

In a statement to the Commons the Health Secretary apologised to victims for the ' 'administrative incompetence' and said: 'Many families will be deeply disturbed by these revelations, not least because there will be some people who receive a letter having had a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. There may be some who receive a letter having had a recent terminal diagnosis'.

He added: 'For them and others it is incredibly upsetting to know that you did not receive an invitation for screening at the correct time and totally devastating to hear you may have lost or be about to lose a loved one because of administrative incompetence'.

Q&A: WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISSED OUT ON A BREAST CANCER SCREENING Q: I missed out on a final breast cancer screening, what can I do? A: Jeremy Hunt today said surviving women who are still in their early 70s will be offered a catch-up screening. A helpline has also been set-up. All women affected who wish to be screened will be invited to one in the next six months – he said most would be screened sooner than that. The NHS Choices website provides further information and the option to contact your local unit to book an appointment. All affected women registered with a GP will receive a letter by the end of May with further information. Anyone concerned can contact the helpline on 0800 169 2692. Q: How do I know if I did not receive my screening invitation? A: All women affected who are registered with a GP will be informed by letter from Public Health England (PHE) by the end of May 2018. Women affected aged up to their 72nd birthday will receive a letter inviting them for a catch-up screen. Women aged 72 to 79 will receive a letter providing clear information on what to do next if they want to have a screen. These women, aged 72 to 79, will be asked to contact the helpline. Women, aged 70 to 79, currently registered with a GP, who do not receive a letter from PHE can be assured they are not affected and do not need a catch-up screen. Q: How many women have been affected by the scandal? A: Between 2009 and the start of 2018, up to 450,000 women aged between 68 and 71 were not invited to their final breast screening. Women in England between the ages of 50 and 70 are currently automatically invited for breast cancer screening every three years. Q: Who is eligible for compensation? A: Mr Hunt made clear in his comments in Parliament that any case where the missed scan is established as a 'likely cause of death' would be eligible for compensation. Previous negligence cases over cancer diagnosis have led to payouts of between £65,000 and close to £1million. For more information call the helpline on 0800 169 2692. Q: What will prevent something like this from happening again? A: The Health Secretary has ordered an independent inquiry to find out exactly what went wrong, how many people died and who is entitled to compensation. He has promised the Government will be 'transparent' about what went wrong. The review, to be led by the chair of the Macmillan Cancer Trust and chair of the Royal Marsden Hospital, will take around six months. Advertisement

He has ordered an independent inquiry into how the IT failure happened.

This will also involve delving into the medical records of the women who have died to discover whether the missed screenings could have saved their lives.

Women in England between the ages of 50 and 70 are currently automatically invited for breast cancer screening every three years.

They should receive their final invitation between their 68th and 71st birthday.

Mr Hunt said: 'Irrespective of when the incident started, the fact is that for many years oversight of our screening programme has not been good enough.

'So on behalf of the Government, Public Health England and the NHS, I apologise wholeheartedly and unreservedly for the suffering caused.'

The mistakes date back to at least 2009 meaning the scandal will raise questions for both the Tories and Labour on why it was not uncovered sooner.

The failures first came to the attention of health chiefs in January and Mr Hunt said a 'computer algorithm' failure was to blame.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for all the cases to be investigated 'sensitively'.

In his statement, Mr Hunt said that between 2009 and the start of 2018 up to 450,000 women aged between 68 and 71 were not invited to their final breast screening.

He added: 'At this stage it is unclear if any delay in diagnosis resulted in any avoidable deaths or harm.'

But he admitted the current best estimate is that between 135 and 270 women had their lives shortened by the failure.

He added: 'There are likely to be some people in this group who would have been alive had the failure not happened.'

All women affected who wish to be screened will be invited to one in the next six months – he said most would be screened sooner than that.

The Health Secretary added: 'We must also recognise that there may also be some who receive a letter having had a recent terminal diagnosis

'For them and others It is incredibly upsetting to know that you did not receive an invitation for screening at the correct time and totally devastating to hear that you may have lost or be about to lose a loved one because of administrative incompetence.

'So on behalf of the government Public Health England and the NHS, I apologise wholehearted and unreservedly for the suffering caused.'

He added: 'The sad truth is we can't establish whether not being invited to a screen was critical or not without looking into individuals' case notes.

'Sadly in some cases this will involve looking into the case notes of some people who have now died to establish whether there is a link or not.'

'We do need to find ways to improve oversight.'

Giving details of his inquiry, Mr Hunt said the Government will be looking into how the IT failure happened and how it can be prevented in the future.

He said: 'I am therefore commissioning an independent review of the NHS breast screening programme to look at these and other issues, including its processes, IT systems and further changes and improvements that can be made to the system to minimise the risk of any repetition.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for all the cases to be investigated 'sensitively

The review will be chaired by Linda Thomas, the chief executive of McMillan Cancer Support and Professor Martin Gore, consultant medical oncologist and professor of cancer medicine at the Royal Marsden, and is expected to report in six months' time.'

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR BREAST CANCER SCREENING AND HOW DOES IT WORK? What is breast cancer screening? Screening is a procedure which allows doctors to catch breast cancer while it is still in its infancy and therefore easier to treat. It involves an X-ray test - known as a mammogram - to check for signs of cancer which are too small to see or feel. The results of the mammogram will be sent to the women and her GP within two weeks. Around 5 per cent will be called back for further tests. Who is eligible? Any woman concerned that they might have breast cancer can see their GP and be referred for a screening. But in recognition that the risk of getting breast cancer increases with age, all women aged between 50 and 70 who are registered with a GP should automatically be invited for screening every three years. Women are first invited for screening between their 50th and 53rd birthday, although in some areas they are invited from age 47 as part of a trial. How are they invited? The screening process is overseen by Public Health England, which uses an IT system to send out invitations. Advertisement

Emma Greenwood, Cancer Research UK's director of policy and public affairs, said: 'It's very concerning to learn that so many women have not received an invitation to screening over a prolonged period of time.

'We know this may leave many women with questions about breast screening.

If you suspect you have been directly affected by this or if you are over 50 and haven't had a mammogram in the last three years and would like one, the NHS Choices website provides further information and the option to contact your local unit to book an appointment.

'It's worth remembering that many breast cancers are still found by women themselves, outside of the screening programme, so if you notice any unusual changes in your breast see your GP straight away.'

Mr Ashworth welcomed the establishment of an inquiry, and asked: 'Although the parallels are not exact, where the NHS offers screenings for bowel cancer between the ages of 60 and 74 and for cervical cancer for women up to 64, what assurances can the Secretary of State give us today that the systems which support those services are running properly, and what checks are being carried out to make sure that nobody is missing out on screenings for other cancers?'

He called for Mr Hunt to ensure that the NHS will have the staff it needs to carry out the additional work.

'And can I suggest to him ever so gently that if the NHS does need extra international cancer staff he will ensure that the Home Office doesn't block their visas?'

Responding to Mr Ashworth, the Health Secretary said 'each and every case will be looked into in detail'.

Mr Hunt said he was 'not aware of any evaluations that have been shared with the Department of Health that could have brought this problem to light', but said the inquiry would look at the matter.

The review will be chaired by Linda Thomas (pictured), the chief executive of McMillan Cancer Support and Professor Martin Gore, consultant medical oncologist and professor of cancer medicine at the Royal Marsden

On resources, he added: 'We will certainly provide any extra resources that the NHS needs to undertake additional cancer screening because one of our biggest priorities is that women who get their regular screens between the age of 50 and 70 - where the screens are of the highest clinical value - do not find that they are delayed because of the extra screenings that are being done as we try to put this problem right.'

Routine screening is supposed to be offered every three years to all women aged between 50 and 70.

Around one in eight women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.

The disease becomes more likely with age.

Screening aims to find cancer when it is too small to see or feel and is performed with a mammogram X-ray.

Figures in January revealed just 71.1 per cent of women in England aged 50 to 70 took up invitations for routine screening in 2016/17 - down 1 per cent on the previous year.

It is the lowest take up in 10 years - in 2007, 73.6 per cent of women attended, according to NHS Digital data.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER? Around 55,200 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year. One in eight women develop the disease during their lifetime. The illness can cause a number of symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue. Most breast lumps aren't cancerous, but it's always best to have them checked by your doctor. According to NHS Choices you should also see your GP if you notice any of the following: A change in the size or shape of one or both breasts

Discharge from either of your nipples, which may be streaked with blood

A lump or swelling in either of your armpits

Dimpling on the skin of your breasts

A rash on or around your nipple

A change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast Breast pain isn't usually a symptom of breast cancer. Advertisement

'We worked all our lives and this was the time we wanted to enjoy together': 'Devastated' husband reveals how wife died from breast cancer after not getting screening aged 70

A bereft husband whose wife of 55 years died of breast cancer after never being offered a final breast scan fears thousands may have lost their lives needlessly because of the NHS scandal.

Brian Gough's wife Trixie is among the 450,000 women who never got a screening appointment meant for all women aged between 68 and 71 and breast cancer would claim her life shortly after she turned 76.

The 77-year-old from Norfolk has shared photos including one poignant image of her at home in the days before she died.

Mr Gough said it was an outrage 'thousands of people like his wife (pictured on holiday in Scotland), were losing their lives'

Mr Gough 'had no idea' about the scandal until he saw Jeremy Hunt's speech on TV today and told MailOnline: 'I was completely gobsmacked and knew straight away Trix was one of the people never given a scan. I'm devastated. I have her ashes next to me.

He added: 'I'm amazed that it has taken them the best part of a decade to spot the problem. It's extraordinary. There are thousands of real people involved in this, people like Trixie, who didn't deserve to lose their lives.

'I'm not saying she wouldn't have got cancer but it could have been found earlier if she was given the scan. You have to wonder if the result would have been different'

'We worked all our lives and this was the time we wanted to enjoy together. That's not possible now. She's gone and I live alone'.

He added Trix was 'taken too soon' and said: 'It's been very painful going over this again but she was a wonderful, brave, uncomplaining wife for almost 56 years and she is still missed enormously by all of the family Taken to soon a victim perhaps of others failings'.

Jeremy Hunt claims up to 270 women may have died early because the blunder caused by a computer glitch.

Mrs Gough, pictured with her husband and family, died just days after turning 76

Mrs Gough wife failed to receive notification to make an appointment for screening by the time she was 71.

In October 2010 she found a lump in her breast and we immediately saw her GP who sent her for a scan with the outcome being breast cancer.

She underwent surgery followed by radio therapy and chemotherapy but after 2 years cancer returned and she again went through a period of chemotherapy and blood transfusions until it spread to other organs and she lost her life on 28th December 2015.

Jeremy Hunt today told the Commons that a 'computer algorithm failure' dating back to 2009 had meant many women aged 68 to 71 were not invited to their final routine screening.

It is not known whether any delay in diagnosis resulted in avoidable death, but it is estimated that between 135 and 270 women had their lives shortened as a result, he said.

An independent review has been launched into the 'serious failure' in the programme, overseen by Public Health England (PHE), which was discovered in January.