The National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS ) wishes to remind women aged 50 to 64 living in County Mayo that BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme, is continuing to provide free breast x-rays (mammograms ) to eligible women living in the county.
BreastCheck urges women living in Mayo who have been invited for a free mammogram to avail of the service. The screening service is being provided from a BreastCheck mobile digital screening unit located at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. Eligible women in Mayo who have previously not attended their appointment have recently been contacted by the programme. Should the appointment time offered by BreastCheck not suit, invited women are encouraged to contact the BreastCheck Western Unit on 091 580 600 to rearrange their appointment.
The Government-funded screening service will continue to provide free breast screening in County Mayo over the next two/three months, after which the digital mobile screening unit will relocate to another county.
A BreastCheck mammogram is a simple procedure and the appointment only takes half an hour in total. The aim of screening is to detect early breast cancer. The vast majority of women screened are found to be perfectly healthy, with fewer than one per cent diagnosed with cancer.
A specialist BreastCheck multi-disciplinary team provides the screening service to women. Quality assurance standards in operation throughout BreastCheck include the double-reading of all mammograms by two separate, specially trained radiologists, the use of triple assessment for women who need further investigation and the continuing audit and maintenance of all equipment used.
