Just Book It: Five Minutes Could Save Your Life

photo of the "Just Book it" campaign poster
Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Breast cancer occurs most often in women 50 to 74 years of age, but many eligible women within this age group still do not participate in breast screening.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the South West Regional Cancer Program in partnership with Cancer Care Ontario, has launched Just Book It: Five Minutes Could Save Your Life, a campaign that invites women to make the time to book their mammogram appointment by simply calling 1-800-668-9304.

In 2015, an estimated 9,800 Ontario women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 1,900 women will die of the disease. It’s important for women aged 50 to 74 years to get screened every two years – even for those who feel well. A mammogram takes an X-ray picture of the breast and can find changes in the breast even when they are too small for you or your healthcare provider to feel or see.

The campaign’s goal is to increase screening participation among the 50 to 54 age group in particular. The 50 to 54 age group has the largest number of screen-eligible women who have not booked their mammogram appointments.

 Finding breast cancer early means it’s less likely to spread and there’s a better change of treating it successfully. Between 1990 and 2012, breast cancer mortality decreased by roughly 41.6 per cent for Ontario women aged 50 to 74 and by 36.4 per cent for women of all ages.

Mammograms are not perfect tests. Mammography may produce abnormal results, raising the suspicion of cancer, when, in fact, additional imaging or biopsies show there is no cancer. Mammograms may also miss some breast cancers and some cancers develop in the time between screens. These are among the reasons that regular screening is important.

Eligible women can schedule their mammogram appointments at any Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) site. For women more information or to book an appointment women in the South West, you can call 1-800-668-9304 or visit www.cancercare.on.ca/justbookit. No referral from a doctor is required.