Do-nut forget to screen your breasts! That’s the message from BreastScreen Queensland Sunshine Coast. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and BreastScreen is partnering with bakeries and coffee shops across the Sunshine Coast to get the message out and remind women to screen.
“Most women are so busy organizing families and looking after other people that they often forget to take the time to look after themselves,” BreastScreen Queensland Sunshine Coast Health Promotion Officer Gillian Duffy said.
“We are always looking for new ways to remind women about the importance of regular breast cancer screening. Now, during October, whether they are grabbing a quick coffee on the way to work or picking up a sweet treat for the family, there will be ‘Do-Nuts’ there to remind them to screen.
"Breast cancer is still the most common cancer diagnosed among Queensland women with one in seven women being diagnosed by the age of 85. As there is no known way of preventing breast cancer, the focus in reducing deaths from this disease has been on finding breast cancer as early as possible,” Ms Duffy said.
A breast screen can find cancer very early when it is still small and before it can be felt or seen by a woman or her doctor. When breast cancer is found early it allows a woman to have more options around the treatment of the cancer and provides a better overall outcome for the women.
BreastScreen Queensland provides free breast cancer screening for women 40 years and over. The appointments take less than 30 minutes and doctors’ referrals are not required.
Free screening services are located at Caloundra, Maroochydore, Gympie, Nambour and Noosaville. The free mobile screening service is at Stockland Birtinya, Kunara Organic Market place and Cooroy during October.
To make an appointment at any of the BreastScreen Queensland screening sites call 13 20 50 or visit the BreastScreen Queensland website.
“It’s free and it’s quick, so what are you waiting for? Do-nut put off your breast screen any longer!”
THE FACTS:
75% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 50. Younger women do get breast cancer, but the risk of breast cancer increases dramatically after the age of 50.
9 out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer have NO family history of the disease. While women with a family history of breast cancer are more at risk, most women diagnosed have no family history of the disease at all.
A breast screen every two years is the best way to detect breast cancer early, well before you or your doctor can feel anything.