An estimated 12,000 women in Ontario will get breast cancer this year and one in eight will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. It is the most common type of cancer for women in Ontario. But it also has one of the highest survival rates of all cancers with early detection.
In Ontario, 83 per cent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women over the age of 50. When caught early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is nearly 100 per cent, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Getting regular mammograms, beginning at age 50, can increase the odds of finding cancer when it is easier to treat.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Niagara Health is urging any woman, Two-Spirit, trans and non-binary person eligible for breast screening to schedule an appointment.
Niagara Health has three full-service Ontario Breast Screening Program Centres and Assessment Clinics at its hospital sites in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Welland. To learn more about breast screening at Niagara Health and to schedule an appointment, visit niagarahealth.on.ca/site/breast-screening.
In addition, the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Regional Cancer Care Program also provides mobile cancer screening services in St, Catharines, Fort Erie and Port Colborne. Residents can book an appointment for the Mobile Cancer Screening Coach by calling 905-975-4467 or 1-855-338-3131.
