Women aged 50-74 from South Western Sydney Local Health District are being urged to book in a free mammogram during breast cancer awareness month.
Almost 52 percent of women in the region are overdue for their two-yearly breast cancer screening.
Dr Patsy Soon, clinical director of BreastScreen NSW, South Western Sydney Screening Assessment Service, said with almost 750 local women expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, now is the time to book in a free, life-saving breast screen.
“For women aged 50-74, a breast screen every two years is still the best way to detect breast cancer early – before it can be seen or felt,” Dr Soon said.
“If you’re aged 50 to 74, make breast screening a priority. It only takes 20 minutes and no doctor’s referral is needed.”
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, BreastScreen NSW is also encouraging women to Be A Friend, Tell A Friend about the importance of having regular mammograms.
Be A Friend, Tell A Friend encourages word of mouth and social media promotion among women to their friends, family and colleagues about the need to have regular mammograms.
Professor Tracey O’Brien, NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, said if detected in its earliest stages, a woman’s five-year breast cancer survival rate is 98 per cent.
This drops to 43.9 per cent if detected later, when it has spread to other organs.
“More than 6500 women in NSW are expected to receive a breast cancer diagnosis this year, and 1,000 women are expected to lose their lives to the disease in 2024, so we need to do everything we can to support women and encourage them to book in a life-saving breast screen,” Ms O’Brien said.
“Early detection not only significantly increases a person’s chance of survival it can also greatly reduce the need for invasive treatment like a mastectomy.
For more information and to make an appointment at a local BreastScreen NSW clinic or mobile van, call 13 20 50 or book online at www.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au.
