Barrhead women concerned about developing breast cancer will be able to get a mammogram test without going into the city. From Feb. 13 to 25, Alberta Health Service’s mobile mammography units, called Screen Test, will come to the W.R.
Barrhead women concerned about developing breast cancer will be able to get a mammogram test without going into the city.
From Feb. 13 to 25, Alberta Health Service’s mobile mammography units, called Screen Test, will come to the W.R. Keir Continuing Care Centre.
Screen Test co-ordinator Harmony McRae, said it is important for women to start thinking about getting their breasts examined sooner rather than later.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize that breast cancer is still a big problem in Alberta. It is the most common kind of cancer for women,” she said, adding one in eight Alberta women will develop breast cancer sometime during their lifetime. “But with a screening mammogram, when women are screened regularly, we can see the changes in their tissue over time and find the cancer in the early stages.”
The earlier cancer is detected the more treatment options are available and survival rates increase dramatically. Currently, 90 per cent of women currently survive up to five years after their diagnosis — a number that is largely credited to improved early-screening.
“That is why it so important for women to be screened regularly. Don’t wait until you have a lump or a problem,” McRae said. “Even if you don’t have a family history because most of the cancers we find are with women with no previous history.”
It is recommended that women 50 and older get a mammogram every two years. Those aged 40 to 49 may also get a mammogram done, with a doctor’s referral.
The mobile mammogram clinic started in 1991 as part of the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening program.
“This will be Screen Test’s 25th anniversary,” McRae said, adding the reason the program began is because AHS officials discovered there was a discrepancy between the number of women from rural and urban areas who were getting tested.
“We were finding a lot of women in rural areas were not getting screened, partly because of the time and effort to go into a major centre for an appointment,” she said. “So the mobile service was started to address that gap in service and bring it to their doorstep.”
Initially, the program started out with two vans each equipped with an x-ray machine that could be set up inside a health centre or hospital.
However, that changed in 2008 when the program started using two digital mammography units inside a 53-foot trailer.
Every year, the clinics visit more than 120 communities and screen about 24,000 women.
Screen Test visits Barrhead every year in early February.
“Basically a mammogram is just a special type of X-ray machine that compresses the breast tissue, flattening it out so it is easier to see on an X-ray,” McRae said, adding that a total of four X-rays will be taken, two of each breast.
The images are then sent to a radiologist who studies them to see if they can detect any cancerous cells.
McRae admits getting a mammogram isn’t the most pleasant experience a woman can go through.
“There is definitely a moment of discomfort, but it's pretty quick and we try to make it as painless as we can,” she said.
To book call 1-800-667-0604. McRae recommends people book early because appointments tend to fill up fast. In Barrhead about 440 appointments are available.
