Early detection still best chance
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women, with one in nine expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime.
And, while early detection through mammography can result in increased treatment options and better survival rates, many women avoid getting the procedure.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and women are being encouraged to stay up-to-date with mammograms as part of their routine medical care.
“There are many reasons women are apprehensive about having a mammogram and I think one reason is they are afraid of something being found,” said Dr. Janice Giesbrecht, medical director of the oncology program at the Niagara Health System.
“What we tell people is it’s far better to know if there is something and have it checked and find out it is nothing of concern than going on worrying.”
Some women put off getting a mammogram out of fear the procedure will be uncomfortable or painful. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast, and detects any changes that have occurred, even those too small for the average person to feel or see. During the procedure, a plastic plate is slowly pressed down to flatten the breast and hold it in place for a few seconds.
By following a few simple steps, Giesbrecht said, women can decrease the level of worry and anxiety.
“We want to make it more comfortable for them to come in as opposed to a worry.”
A growing trend is women who make appointments together and “make a date of it.”
“Make it something you do together,” Giesbrecht said. “Then plan dinner together or something like that afterward.”
The same concept can apply to women from different cultural communities who are unfamiliar with the process.
“It can help if they come together as a group, or even ask if people from their church or cultural group can come with them so they can all support each other.”
Bottom line, Niagara’s top oncologist says, is “just book it.”
There has been a dramatic decrease in breast cancerrelated deaths in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom since the implementation of modern mammography in 1990.
“It’s in part due to screening but also to better treatments of breast cancer.
“The message is that even if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you are likely to need less treatment and less surgery.
Those are all good reasons to have a mammogram.”
Breast cancer does have one of the highest survival rates compared to other cancers, according to Cancer Care Ontario.
And mammograms are one of the best and most reliable ways to detect breast cancer early on.
The Ontario Breast Screening Program offers free screening to women ages 50 to 74 with no signs of breast cancer. The program also screens women ages 30 to 69 years who are identified as being at high risk for breast cancer.
The NHS has three full-service OBSP centres and assessment clinics in Niagara Falls, Welland and St. Catharines. Satellite clinics are also available in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.
Women ages 50 to 74 can make an appointment at an OBSP site without a doctor’s referral. For more information, call 905-3784647 or visit www.niagarahealth.on.ca/en/breast-screening.
It can help if they come together as a group, or even ask if people from their church or cultural group can come with them so they can all support each other.” Dr. Janice Giesbrecht