Health / Mobile breast screening service to return
AROUND 3,000 women between the ages of 50 and 70 years will receive invitations over the next few months to have a breast screening.
Two mobile units will return to Shetland on 7 April and will be based at the Clickimin Leisure Complex in Lerwick until 12 June.
Invitation letters will be sent out around four weeks prior to the screening appointment date.
The Breast Screening Service visits Shetland every three years, and Shetland has one of the highest screening uptakes in the country.
On the last visit in 2022, attendance had increased to 85.5 per cent of eligible women.
Sarah Philip, Breast services manager for the North East of Scotland Breast Screening Service, said: “Shetland has an impressive record with breast screening uptake, and I would urge all eligible women in Shetland to continue to take advantage of this important screening programme as they have done in the past.
“A small percentage of women who require further assessment will subsequently be recalled to the centre in Aberdeen for review.”
Philip added that it is important that women continue to come for a screening each time the service visits Shetland to ensure there have been no changes in the three years prior.
“If any woman missed or failed to attend three years ago, it is still important to come along for screening this time,” she said.
NHS Shetland’s director of public health Dr Susan Laidlaw added: “One in nine women in Scotland will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
“Women are much more likely to survive breast cancer if it is caught early, and the best way to do this is by having regular mammograms, as you may not be able to see or feel any early changes in the breast tissue.
“Anyone with symptoms of breast cancer or changes to their breasts should not wait for screening, but should speak to their GP.
“If there is anyone in Shetland who thinks that they should be eligible for screening but does not receive an appointment, please contact the Breast Screening Centre on 01224 550570.
“I would like to thank the Shetland Recreational Trust for its help and support in accommodating the unit at Clickimin in Shetland.”
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