The Early Detection Program for Breast Cancer of the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) has moved a mobile mammography unit to the premises of the Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital this January, which is attached to the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, where it will remain until the end of June. This initiative aims to strengthen access for women aged 50 to 69 residing in Lanzarote to mammographic screening and early diagnosis.
The Program consists of performing a biennial screening mammogram, with the aim of preventing the development of breast cancer, one of the main health problems for women, through early diagnosis of the disease, thereby increasing the chances of cure.
The mobile unit is equipped with a high-tech digital X-ray unit for mammography. During its stay in Lanzarote, the population-based program plans to gradually invite more than 8,000 women from all municipalities on the island within the aforementioned age range.This initiative, in addition to improving women's accessibility to the screening program, also aims to strengthen the service in response to the population increase experienced on the island
Summons and results
The recipients of the program are summoned by personalized letter and telephone call to attend the mobile mammography screening unit. The result of the examination is sent by email or postal mail to their home. In the event that further complementary tests are necessary, the woman will be summoned again to the hospital.
For this task, there are two teams of Radiology technicians and administrative assistants.
The transfer of the mobile unit to Lanzarote has had a very satisfactory response from the population on previous occasions and a high percentage of attendance, which points to the awareness among women of the importance of undergoing these types of tests. The program has a contact telephone number (928 89 97 78) to offer information about it.
Mammography, an effective tool
Breast cancer screening with mammograms every two years is a project of the Directorate General of Healthcare Programs of the SCS that is seen as an effective tool for preventing the disease, as it contributes to early detection of cancer, thereby improving prognosis and increasing survival rates.
The Early Breast Cancer Diagnosis Program has digital X-ray equipment for mammograms, which are located in all its units, both fixed and mobile. These are high-tech devices that allow for quality images and greater adjustment capacity when creating reports, thereby reducing the additional projections that, in many cases, must be performed on women to confirm the diagnosis, thus providing greater speed and certainty in the diagnosis.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of tumor-related death in women. Its prognosis depends mainly on the extent of the disease at the time of detection, which is why early diagnosis is one of the ways to improve the chances of a cure. Thanks to early diagnosis and advances in cancer treatment, mortality from this cancer has been reduced in recent years, with a current five-year survival rate of 90 percent.