Screen Test is urging residents of the Drumheller Valley to participate in their breast cancer screening program to be held December 9 to 22, 2011.
Screen Test is a mammography service within Alberta Health Services that provides screening mammograms at two permanent clinics, in Edmonton and Calgary, as well as a mobile facility. Screen Test provides services that exceed international standards for the early detection of breast cancer.
One in eight Albertan women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
Risk factors include being female (though rare, men can develop breast cancer as well), greater than 75 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 50 years of age, having a mother, sister, or daughter diagnosed with breast cancer increases a woman’s risk (although 80 per cent of women who develop breast cancer have no family history), or a previous diagnosis of breast cancer.
A screening mammogram uses X-rays to detect breast cancer. It is regarded as the most effective way to find breast cancer, especially when it is still small, because it can detect breast cancer two to three years before a physician can feel it.
If interested in booking an appointment with Screen Test between December 9 to 22, call 1-800-667-0604. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the more effective treatment can be.
