Survivor calls for regular breast checks
It had been just 10 months since Lisa Rabbidge’s last mammogram when she noticed what would prove to be aggressive breast cancer.
What followed was months of doctor’s appointments, surgery, chemotherapy, and oral medication, which she’ll be on for the next five to 10 years.
Her experience highlights the importance of regular screening and surveillance for finding cancer early, Rabbidge says; ‘‘It’s life-saving.’’
She’s joining Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s call for women to book their mammograms after Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall recently revealed that 49,780 Kiwi women were overdue for their screening mammograms as a result of the impact of lockdowns and Covid-19.
However, the numbers look somewhat better for Southland and Otago where 34 women are overdue for screening mammograms – 23 of them in Southland.
Breastscreen Otago Southland operations manager Sharyn Robson said her team had been working hard to make sure women were being seen on time.
The South Island had spent less time in lockdown, and when alert levels dropped, the team focused on filling gaps as soon as possible if anyone cancelled an appointment, she said.
The women on the overdue list where there because they had recently moved, had come back to the screening programme, had missed an appointment because of personal reasons, or had been for a mammogram between screening appointments, Robson said.
Breastscreen Otago Southland completed 17,776 screening mammograms in the past year, leading to the detection of more than 104 cancers.
This highlighted how important it was for women to enrol with the programme, Robson said.
Rabbidge completed her breast cancer treatment in December and when it came time for her mammogram this year, ‘‘I was there, on the dot.’’
Although she’d been going for regular tests since she was 40, her experience showed just how quickly a cancer can develop, she said, which was why she encouraged the women around her to get their checks regularly.
‘‘It’s uncomfortable, but it’s quick, and they’re respectful. It’s just something you have to slot into your life.’’
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner said breast cancer was the leading cause of death for New Zealand women under 65, with Māori and Pacific women most at risk.
Appointments were opening up though, and the backlog had dropped by about 3000 women in the past two months, she said.
Rayner encouraged women to get back into the screening programme and make appointments as soon as possible.
‘‘Pick up the phone, make the call and get on the list.’’
BreastScreen Aotearoa offers free mammographies to women between the ages of 45 and 69 every two years, or every 12 months for women at with a higher risk for breast cancer.