Mobile mammography unit to bring breast cancer screening to west-central Sask
By Ian MacKay
Women in west-central Saskatchewan will be able to get screened for breast cancer this spring and summer.
The province will have two mobile mammography units touring Saskatchewan after officials unveiled the second specially designed trailer last week in Regina.
The newest screening trailer, replacing the retired bus, is currently scheduled to be beside the AGT Centre in Rosetown from June 8 to 12.
Health Ministers Lori Carr and Jeremy Cockrill joined representatives from the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority to unveil the new unit.
Before that, the unit and its staff are to visit Outlook. After Rosetown, it is to go to the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley from June 15 to 26 and the Kerrobert hospital complex from June 27 to July 10 before travelling north.
People may book screening appointments up to six weeks in advance of a visit by calling 1-855-584-8228.
“With two mobile units in operation, screening capacity will grow and bring lifesaving breast health screening services closer to home for more women,” a Health Department statement said.
The first new unit appeared in January and went to southeast Saskatchewan in March. Both units carry state-of-the-art digital mammography machines and new furnishings. The province expects to spend more than $475,000 annually to run them.
The mammography machines detect signs of cancer early with low-dose X-rays of breast tissue, the statement said, adding that earlier detection allows for more treatment options and supports better health outcomes for women.
Staff with each unit should screen about 6,000 to 7,500 people, visiting 42 rural and northern communities each year instead of every second year. Women at least 43 years old are eligible for screening. Most healthy women who meet the age threshold and do not have symptoms should undergo a screening mammogram every two years, the statement said.
The unit goes to southwest Saskatchewan in the fall, standing beside the Leader arena from Sept. 8 to 11, the Maple Creek Legion from Sept. 14 to 25, the Wickenheiser Centre at Shaunavon from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9, La Palestre in Gravelbourg from Oct. 13 to 23, and finishing its tour in Assiniboia at the Southland Co-op Centre.
“Expanding access to vital breast health services continues to be a priority for our government,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said, expressing appreciation to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan “and its generous donors for making this second mobile unit a reality.”
The foundation dedicated $5.2 million to its screening improvement campaign, providing $2 million for the first mammography unit, equipment and furnishings, $2.2 million for the second unit and its gear, and $1 million to buy and install a new digital mammography machine for permanent sites in Regina and Saskatoon.
Screening mammograms are for women without lumps, discharge, skin changes or breast implants, who are not “in active followup” for the disease and who have been free of breast cancer for at least five years.
Breast cancer is the cancer most frequently diagnosed in Canadian women and causes the second-highest number of cancer deaths, the statement said.