BC Cancer will be wheeling down the highway promoting its mobile breast cancer screening service in the north next week.
The agency will be making stops at the Alexander Mackenzie Hotel in Mackenzie from July 26th to 29th before moving over to Chetwynd July 30th to August 2nd at the community’s Hospital and Health Centre.
Screening mammograms are available to most women, and many Two-Spirit, trans and gender-diverse individuals, 40 years and older with no symptoms.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers found in the province, with around 3,500 people receiving a breast cancer diagnosis each year.
Regular screening mammograms can find breast cancer early, often before it has spread.
About 10 per cent of all screening mammograms performed in BC are done on the mobile units.
“Mammograms save lives by detecting breast cancers early, often before they have spread and when more treatment options are available,” says John Lowrie, mobile operations manager for the breast screening program. “More people in BC are being diagnosed with breast cancer, but fewer are dying from the disease. This is in large part due to early detection and treatment.”
It is recommended that eligible individuals ages 40 to 74 who have a parent, full-sibling or child with breast cancer receive a mammogram every year.
Eligible individuals ages 40 to 74 without a family history of breast cancer should schedule a mammogram every two years.
To book a screening mammogram, call 1-800-663-9203
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