Breast screening marathon brings awareness to early detection

The thought of a mammogram is an uncomfortable one for most women.

Doctors suggest women over the age of 40 have a mammogram every one-to-two years, but many women fail to do so because of the fears and misconceptions surrounding the procedure.

Lise Pitre is the mammographer and x-ray technologist at CML HealthCare. Pitre said most women who come in for their first breast screening are afraid that it will hurt.

“The key to mammograms is relaxing the muscles,” Pitre said.“(But) some women are afraid of the actual diagnoses.

“They don't realize that if they do have breast cancer, if it's caught early, their prognosis is very good."

Lise Pitre, Mammographer and X-Ray technologist, assists 52-year-old Brenda Ranger during the 50 Over Fifty Challenge, a breast screening marathon for women over 50 held at CML Healthcare. Photo by Heather Green-Oliver.

In an effort to bring awareness to the benefits of early detection, two breast-screening sites in Greater Sudbury participated in the 50 Over Fifty Challenge May 7.

Health Sciences North's breast-screening and assessment service and CML HealthCare were among the seven sights in northeastern Ontario to participate in the 12-hour marathon.

The goal was to screen 50 women who are in their 50s that have never been screened for breast cancer. No appointment was needed.

At the CML HealthCare site, women were pampered with small gifts and a rose. The centre also held hourly draws for products donated by nearby business located downtown.

The screening facilities at both CML HealthCare and Health Sciences North switched to digital mammography earlier this year.

According to the National Cancer Institute, digital mammography is significantly better than film for women under the age of 50, or for women with dense breasts. The images are clearer, which helps detect breast cancer earlier.

“We want women to come in before they find a lump. The goal with a routine mammogram every two years is to find the breast cancer before the woman would experience symptoms and, in most cases, the prognosis is be much better.”