BREASTCHECK SCREENING TO COMMENCE IN DONEGAL
- 01 September 2009
The National Cancer Screening Service is delighted to confirm that BreastCheck – The National Breast Screening Programme will begin providing women aged 50 to 64 in Co Donegal with free breast x-rays (mammograms) from October 2009.
Appointments are scheduled to begin in early October and women will be screened at a mobile digital screening unit located in the grounds of Donegal Public Services Centre, Drumlonagher, Donegal town.
In the coming days, women living in Donegal town and areas surrounding Donegal town will begin receiving letters from BreastCheck with information about breast screening. Following this, women will automatically receive an appointment by post, giving a minimum of seven days notice of their appointment.
BreastCheck advises all women aged 50 to 64 to check that they are on the BreastCheck register. Once on the register and known to the Programme, women will automatically receive a BreastCheck appointment. Women can check that they are on the register by calling Freephone 1800 45 45 55 or checking online at www.breastcheck.ie.
Mr Tony O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer of the National Cancer Screening Service encourages all women invited for a mammogram by BreastCheck, to attend their appointment. “The aim of BreastCheck is to reduce deaths from breast cancer by finding and treating the disease at an early stage. BreastCheck invites women for screening on an area by area basis and the screening service will remain in Co Donegal until all eligible women have been offered an appointment. In excess of 1,800 women in Donegal town and surrounding areas will be the first to be invited for screening over the coming three months and I strongly encourage every woman invited to take this valuable opportunity to look after their health.”
The Government-funded programme is offered on a two-yearly cycle. A BreastCheck mammogram is a simple procedure and an appointment only takes about half an hour in total. The aim of screening is to detect early breast cancer. The vast majority of women screened are found to be perfectly healthy with less than one per cent diagnosed with cancer.
A specialist BreastCheck multi-disciplinary team provides the screening service to women. Quality assurance standards in operation throughout BreastCheck include the double-reading of all mammograms by two separate, specially trained radiologists, the use of triple assessment for women that need further investigation
at the BreastCheck Western Unit, Galway and the continuing audit and maintenance of all equipment used.
BreastCheck is the first national screening service provider worldwide to offer a fully digital mammography service. The decision to transfer to full digital mammography was taken following a successful pilot programme that demonstrated significant improvements in diagnostic accuracy.
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