Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for women in Ontario. Detecting it early can help increase your chances of survival.
“Forty to 49-year-old eligible people account for 13 per cent of breast cancers in Ontario. We're hoping to save some lives by introducing this,” Dr. Youssef Almalki, medical director, diagnostic imaging at Bluewater Health tells The Journal.
“In Ontario, we're actually top of the world in terms of stage zero breast cancer, so even before it gets to the real cancer process, because we have screening and we're so good at it across the province. So by rolling it out to this age group, we're really hoping to catch some cancers early and increase survival.”
Amalki says if you are experiencing breast cancer symptoms, you should make an appointment with your primary care provider as these requests are prioritized.
This screening is only for asymptomatic people, and with the screening covered by OHIP and the ability to book online through Bluewater Health, Amalki says there is no excuse not to book one.
“Bluewater Health was the first one in the province to actually have online booking,” explains Amalki. “It's simple, you don't really have to wait in the queue, you can do it any time of day. And so just book it. My message is to book it and your future self will thank you for it.”
Booking yourself an appointment opens up for those ages 40 to 49 on Oct. 8 by clicking here. Amalki doesn’t foresee any potential cyber problems, but there will still be a bit of a wait for your actual in-person appointment.
“We are trying to find, as a region, to figure out how we can accommodate more women for breast screening…it's not about hiring more people, it's trying to open up more spots, moving things around, being more efficient. There aren't a lot of people to hire, to be honest…the technologists that do these exams are hard to come by. But we are doing our best to accommodate,” says Amalki.
He says that people should expect about a four-month wait for an appointment, but stresses if you are experiencing symptoms to contact your primary healthcare provider so you are prioritized, as was the case with Rebecca Barrons, who did a self exam and discovered a lump.
With the average mammogram taking less than 10 minutes, if this is your first screening it will set up what Amalki calls your baseline. Subsequent exams, he recommends once every two years (unless told otherwise), will have something to compare to so the radiologist can automatically see if something is different. The more consistent you are with it the more likely they are to pick up even the smallest of cancers.
If something unusual is detected from the screening, Bluewater Health will contact the person. If given the all clear a letter will be mailed out.
“We're really on top of it…we can't call everybody and tell them it's normal. Because most people are, right? But if somebody isn't, then we're on them like stink,’ says Amalki.
Amalki credits the equipment that Bluewater Health has as part of the screening program.
“The equipment is really funded by the community through the Bluewater Health Foundation. I just want to say a shout out to them because we do have top of the line state of the art equipment. And really, it's basically the betterment of the community through the Bluewater Health Foundation,” says Amalki.