Province Adds New Tool in Women’s Health
Breast cancer continues to be a huge threat to women’s health and today, Nova Scotia took a forward step to provide women with another significant piece of information in making personal health choices.
Information about breast density is an important part of breast cancer screening that could lead to early detection and treatment.
Nova Scotia has become the first province in Canada to use software that assesses breast density and automatically shares results in a woman's mammography screening report.
Early knowledge of higher breast density is an important indicator of increased risk of breast cancer. Density also impacts diagnoses because it makes it more difficult for a radiologist to interpret the screening mammogram.
Breast density is one of the risk factors and women will now be given that information, along with their care providers, as part of a mammography report. This is invaluable knowledge that will allow women to make informed decisions about their breast health.
About 65,000 screening mammograms were performed in Nova Scotia last year. Women who have been screened in the last two years can contact their primary health-care provider to request their breast density information.
One in eight Nova Scotia women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
For more information click to the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program at https://breastscreening.nshealth.ca/.
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