Book in for a breast screen

BreastScreen NSW has relaunched a campaign encouraging women to have a life saving mammogram and join almost 16,000 women who screened across Central Coast Local Health District in 2024.

Central Coast Director of BreastScreen NSW Meredith Kay said with more than 300 women in the region expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, now is the time to book in a free, life-saving breast screen.

“For women aged 50-74, a breast screen every two years is the best way to detect breast cancer early before it can be seen or felt,” she said.

“The message is clear – put yourself, and your health first and make breast screening a priority.”

First launched in late 2023, the Breast Cancer Doesn’t Wait campaign has been refined to reach even more women, now including targeted advertising in local government areas with the highest numbers of underscreened women.

The campaign encourages women to prioritise their two-yearly breast screening, which is the best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.

New data from Cancer Institite NSW shows around 3,100 additional cancers would be detected if every eligible woman had a regular mammogram.

Professor Tracey O’Brien AM, NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW said the Breast Cancer Doesn’t Wait campaign is part of efforts to spread awareness of the life-saving power of a mammogram.

“More than 1,000 women are expected to die in NSW this year from breast cancer and we are determined to support women to detect and treat breast cancer as early as possible,” she said.

“Early detection not only significantly increases a person’s chance of survival to 98 per cent, it can also avoid the need for invasive treatment like a mastectomy.

“I know it can be hard for women to set time aside for themselves in their busy schedules, but breast screening needs to be a priority – an appointment only takes 20 minutes every two years and could save your life.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with age and being female the biggest risk factors – not family history.

Aboriginal women are recommended to start screening at 40, with evidence showing that they are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, have more advanced cancer at diagnosis and poorer survival rates compared to the overall female population.

Any woman who has noticed a change in her breasts, like a lump, should see their doctor without delay.

For more information and to make an appointment at a local BreastScreen NSW clinic or mobile van, call 13 20 50 or book online at www.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au