Ross Memorial Hospital - Kawartha Lakes
page title bg2 images

Women are encouraged to participate in cancer screening this month

Put your health first “Because Your Family Matters”. The few minutes it takes to screen for women’s cancers could save your life.

The Central East Regional Cancer Program and its partner hospitals are asking women to put their health and wellbeing first by booking a mammogram and Pap test this month.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and National Cervical Cancer Awareness Week is Oct. 17 to 21. More than 9,000 women in Ontario will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. One in 150 women will develop cervical cancer. The “Because Your Family Matters” campaign highlights the importance of screening for women’s cancers.

“As women, we sometimes get so focused on caring for others we forget that caring for ourselves is important to our families, too,” says Dr. Onye Nnorom, Regional Primary Care and Screening Lead for the Central East Regional Cancer Program. “We want women who are overdue for a mammogram or Pap test to make screening a regular part of what they do to stay healthy, because their health and wellbeing matters -- and it matters to the people around them as well.”

Women aged 50 to 74 who are at average risk for breast cancer should have a mammogram every two years. Women who are over the age of 21 who are — or have ever been — sexually active should screen for cervical cancer by having a pap test every three years. 

"Screening for women’s cancers is quick, easy and it’s free- — and it can save your life,” says Dr. Nnorom. “Having a regular mammogram can detect breast cancer early when it is most treatable. Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable with regular screening. So, talk to your health care provider today about getting screened.”

Cancer Care Ontario has named Oct. 20 as the provincial Day of the Mammogram. A number of Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) sites in Central East Region and across Ontario are offering expanded hours of operation and inviting more walk-in appointments that day to increase screening participation.

The average mammogram screening takes just five minutes to book and less than 10 minutes to complete. A Pap test is a simple test that can be done at your family doctor’s office, or at a walk-in clinic or sexual health clinic if you don’t have a doctor.

Eligible women can schedule their mammogram appointments at any OBSP site. For more information about mammograms, the OBSP or to book an appointment, women can call 1-800-668-9304 or visit www.cancercare.on.ca/justbookit.

Women can call their doctor to book their Pap test or visit www.cancercare.on.ca/paptest to find a clinic near them.

About the Central East Regional Cancer Program

The Central East Regional Cancer Program (CE RCP) is one of 14 regional cancer programs in Ontario to ensure cancer care is delivered according to province-wide quality standards. We are proudly ranked among the top cancer programs in all of Ontario in terms of overall performance. The CE RCP oversees the delivery and quality of cancer services for more than 1.6 million residents of Haliburton, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Durham, Northumberland and Scarborough. With our hospital and community partners, we advocate for the best possible cancer care for patients.