BREASTSCREEN NSW is encouraging women, aged 50 to 74, to make their health a priority and book a free life-saving mammogram this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Dr Patsy Soon, Clinical Director, BreastScreen NSW, South Western Sydney Local Health District, said: “This Breast Cancer Awareness Month we want women in south western Sydney to make booking a breast screen a priority.
“BreastScreen NSW has implemented a range of hygiene and social-distancing measures to ensure clinics and mobile screening vans are Covid-19 safe, to protect women, staff and the wider community.”
Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, Professor David Currow, says early detection is key to giving women the best chance of survival and reduces the likelihood of needing invasive treatment, such as mastectomy or chemotherapy.
“In 2020 alone, it’s expected that more than 6,240 women in NSW will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 973 will die from the disease,” Professor Currow said.
“While these numbers are sobering, the good news is that if detected early, women have a 98 per cent chance of survival.
“Breast screens can detect cancer as small as a grain of rice.
“Our research shows that women who receive a diagnosis as a result of regular breast screening are less likely to need a mastectomy. It proves that early detection is key to unlocking less invasive treatment options for patients, making it easier for them to recover, and giving them an overall better quality of life.”
An appointment with BreastScreen NSW is free, takes about 20 minutes in total and no doctor’s referral is needed.
If you are aged 50 to 74, book your mammogram with BreastScreen NSW online at book.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au or by calling 13 20 50.
Test to detect cancer tiny as grain of rice
