Women in Northern Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire are being urged to attend breast screening appointments to help reduce deaths from cancer.
Around 1,300 lives are saved every year because those women take up the invitation to attend breast screening appointments when letters arrive on their doorsteps.
Although breast cancer is the second highest cause of cancer deaths in women, screening reveals problems early, with 98pc of woman diagnosed with breast cancer at this stage surviving five years and beyond.
Yet, uptake by women aged 50 to 53 is as low as six per cent at some GP practices in our area. Women from Black, South Asian and Eastern European communities are also less likely to attend their appointments so the team are sharing exactly what happens during screening to remove all uncertainty.
Lesley Peacock, Programme Manager for Humberside Breast Screening Service, said: “Now is the time for women to prioritise their own health and come for breast screening.
“Women have nothing to fear from attending their appointments. In fact, it can save their lives.
“The vast majority of women we see show no sign of cancer, so it’s reassurance every three years. However, our equipment detects signs far earlier than women may feel a lump and it’s that early diagnosis which is your best chance of survival if you are one of the tiny number who do have breast cancer.”
You’ll receive your letter to attend your first breast screening sometime around your 50th birthday. You’ll then be recalled every three years until your 71st birthday.
Screening takes place in mobile screening vans, similar in size to portable cabins, in community venues including Bridlington Hospital, Lakeside shopping Centre in Scunthorpe and others soon to be moving to Holme on Spalding Moore Village Hall and St Hugh’s Hospital, Grimsby.
Once inside, your details will be checked by the screening team and you’ll be shown to a cubicle to remove clothes from your top half, including your bra. A female mammographer will then take you to the room containing the screening equipment and will assist you by placing your breast in a plate while you stand still.
The plates will come together to provide accurate images of your breast and while you may feel slight discomfort, it is not painful. Images will then be taken of each breast, with the process normally completed in 10 minutes from start to finish.
The Humberside team is backing NHS England’s ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign to encourage women in England to attend their breast screening appointments when invited.
Lesley said: ”We are providing all women with clear information about what will happen when they come for screening to remove all uncertainty over what will happen during appointments.
“It’s over in a matter of minutes, any discomfort you may feel is over in seconds but it could mean the difference between you living to see your grandchildren grow up or leaving your loved ones to cope alone.
“This is about women coming together, supporting each other and prioritising their own health so they attend their breast screening when invited.”