Walk-in breast cancer screening underway in northeastern Ontario

Mammothon – a huge effort to encourage woman who are eligible for breast cancer screening – is back after a pause forced by the pandemic.

The ‘Mammothon’ breast screening event is back on in northern Ontario after a five-year hiatus with a goal of screening hundreds of women for cancer.

Nine locations in the region are offering drop-in mammogram screening for people aged 40–74.

“Essentially, what Mammothon aims to do is screen people who are eligible for breast cancer screening or who have never been screened or who are overdue for screening,” said Steven Blakely, a cancer screening manager with the Lung Diagnostic Assessment Program.

“In the northeast region of Ontario, we have 13 Ontario breast screening program sites. Nine out of these 13 sites are in fact, participating.”

Breast cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in Canadian women.

‘Oh, it’s not so bad’

Early screening can help improve chances of recovery, but many people put off testing, according to Sherrie Palys, the ultrasound supervisor at Sudbury’s Well Health Diagnostics Centers.

“We see the stigma that comes with mammograms, women hear stories and, you know, they seem to get like, fearful of it,” Palys said.

“And I just want to let everybody know out there, it really is worth the four pictures, the 15 minutes of your time. I see it work every day. And women who have come to us went, ‘oh, it’s not so bad. It’s not what I thought.’”

While Ontario residents become eligible for screening at age 40, it is recommended that women between the ages of 50 and 74 get a mammogram every two years.

If not, you may be behind on tests.

“It’s recommended that if you are between the ages of 40 to 49, you consult with your primary care provider to determine if screening is right for you,” Blakley said.

“But if you are between the ages of 50 and 74, no referral is required. You can walk right into the center and they should be able to accommodate you.”

Details for each northeastern Ontario site included in the Mammothon, where walk-ins are welcome:

Kapuskasing

June 18 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Sensenbrenner Hospital at 101 Progress Cr., 705-337-4011.

Kirkland Lake

June 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Blanche River Hospital at 145 Government Rd. East, 1-866-567-5251.

Moose Factory

June 14-20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Weeneebayko General Hospital at 19 Hospital Dr., 705-658-4544 ext. 2305.

Parry Sound

June 19 and 20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at West Parry Sound Health Centre at 6 Albert St., 705-746-4540 ext. 3602.

Sault Ste. Marie

June 18 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Sault Area Hospital at 750 Great Northern Rd., 1-833-255-6277, and Group Health Centre at 240 McNabb St. until 4 p.m.

Sturgeon Falls

June 18 from a.m. to 7 p.m. at West Nipissing General Hospital, 725 Coursol Rd., 705-753-3110 ext. 257.

Sudbury

June 16-20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at WELL Health Sudbury at 40 Elm St., Suite 255, 1-833-904-4840.

Timmins

June 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Timmins and District Hospital at 700 Ross Ave. East, 705-360-6012.

Health care experts said they hope to see 445 patients throughout the Mammothon at the various locations around the region.