Mammogram  screen tests  coming to Cardston

Posted on July 3, 2025 by admin

Southern Alberta Newspapers

From July 9 to 12, Alberta Health Services is offering free screening mammograms in Cardston. The AHS mobile screening units will travel to 120 communities throughout Alberta to provide convenient access to breast cancer screening.

  In a news release, AHS said that having regular screening mammograms is the best way to detect breast cancer before symptoms appear and when treatment may work better.

  AHS recommends screening mammograms for women aged 45 to 74, and said the screens are an important part of a regular health routine at least every two years or on a schedule agreed upon by the individual and their doctor.

  Women who fall within the recommended age category don’t need a referral. However, AHS does require a health provider’s referral for those aged 40 to 44 who are asking for their first mammogram, or those over the age of 75.

  Additionally, breast density scores are now included in everyone’s screen test result letters.  According to AHS, “Breast density is the amount of dense tissue compared to the amount of fat in a person’s breasts. It can be harder to find cancer in dense breasts because this tissue appears white on a mammogram, the same colour as many kinds of breast cancer. It’s common to have dense breast tissue.”

  Dense breasts are one of the risk factors for breast cancer, but factors such as age and genetics play a greater role in overall risk. AHS warned that women can’t tell how dense their breasts are by size, look, or feel; the only way to find out is by having a mammogram.

  Call 1-800-667-0604 (toll-free) to book a mammogram with a screen test and visit screeningforlife.ca for more info.