The National Cancer Screening Service has announced that BreastCheck, the Irish National Breast Screening Programme will shortly invite women, who reside in the Thurles area, to attend for free mammograms. This free publically funded screening service is being presently offered to women aged between 50 and 64 on a two yearly cycle.
Women living in Thurles will be screened from a mobile digital screening unit located in the grounds of Nenagh General Hospital, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.
A breast check x-ray is a simple, but essential procedure which will take approximately just 30 minutes of your time. The aim of screening is to detect breast cancer as early as possible thus guaranteeing a much greater chance of the successful treatment of this disease.
Statistics show that the vast majority of women screened are found to be perfectly healthy, with less than one per cent actually diagnosed with this life threatening disease.
A specialist breast check multi-disciplinary team provides the screening service to women. Quality assurance standards in operation throughout BreastCheck will include the double-reading of all mammograms by two separate, specially trained radiologists, the use of triple assessment for women that need further investigation and the continuing audit and maintenance of all equipment used.
Mr. Tony O’Brien, CEO of the National Cancer Screening Service, stated:
“It is important that women take this valuable opportunity to look after their health. Many women living in Thurles have already been contacted by BreastCheck and we hope every woman invited will make time to attend for this important appointment.”
If you have not been contacted, women can register by calling Freephone 1800 45 45 55 or visiting on line www.breastcheck.ie.
The latest programme report (Dated 2007/2008), shows that in the 2007 BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme provided 66,527 free mammograms to women aged 50 to 64, which is the highest annual number of women screened by the programme to date.
Note: The overall rate of acceptance of invitations to screening was 76.3% of all women invited. This figure is in excess of the expected original programme target of 70%.
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