A mobile service rolling its way into Cochrane Sept. 9 will offer mammogram tests, helping some women possibly detect breast cancer early.
The Screening Program Division of Alberta Health Services (AHS) provides the mobile program. The initiative provides breast screening and tests for women throughout Alberta – particularly locations that may not have a full-time clinic.
The mobile service was launched in 1991 to provide convenient breast cancer screenings around the province. It consists of two trailers that are equipped with digital mammographic machines that travel to 122 communities, including 28 Indigenous communities.
According to AHS, a mobile trailer will be stationed at the Cochrane Community Health Centre from Sept. 9 to 17. Due to pandemic-related precautions, walk-ins are not being accepted. AHS instead asks interested participants to call the screen test booking line ahead of time to book an appointment. Late registrations will be accepted, but are limited based on availability.
AHS health promotion facilitator, Chidi Okoli, outlined that mammogram tests are important to help detect and prevent breast cancer, particularly among women over the age of 40 or 50.
“Having routine mammograms is the most effective way to find breast cancer early,” Okoli said. “At that stage, the tumour is very small and is found before symptoms develop. So now, there are more treatment options, and women have higher chances of survival.”
Once the service-on-wheels arrives in Cochrane this week, it will accommodate residents who cannot travel to Calgary or elsewhere for screenings.
It also provides convenience for women to get screened in their own community.
“Some feedback we get from women is that most of them would not have been screened, if not for the mobile unit,” Okoli said.
According to Okoli, mammograms are often used as a baseline test, as they also help doctors detect any changes in breast tissue over time to detect for cancer in its early stages.
“Research by the Canadian Cancer Society has shown that about 88 per cent of women are surviving breast cancer and this is thanks to the screening mammogram,” Okoli said.
For women ages 50 to 74, AHS recommends to be screened either once every two years, or as often as recommended by their health-care provider.
Okoli invites women in Cochrane to book a test. She believes that routine mammograms are very important and wants to reassure women that their health and safety are top priority.
In addition to the screening, Okoli noted COVID-19 precautions are being observed in the trailer for the safety of everyone onboard. Masks, Plexiglas dividers and physical distancing will be practiced. Tests will take around 20 minutes
To book a test, AHS asks residents to please call the toll-free line 1-800-667-0604. Additional information about the Screen Test program can be found at screeningforlife.ca
