Nova Scotia Breast Screening Advocates
Protecting Lives Through Awareness and Advocacy for Early Detection
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Critical issues currently impacting
Critical issues currently impacting
early detection of breast cancer for Nova Scotians.
early detection of breast cancer for Nova Scotians.
1: Dense breasts have an increased risk of breast cancer.
2: Dense breast tissue and cancer are both white on a mammogram, making it difficult to see the cancer.
Nova Scotians with dense breasts cannot access supplementary
breast cancer screening which is proven to identify cancers that were missed by mammogram.
Nova Scotia needs to offer supplemental screening for women with Category C & D dense breasts.
WE NEED YOU!
WE NEED YOU!
Click here to find out how you can help.
Click here to find out how you can help.
Any time commitment, large or small, short term or long term, will make a difference.
We are looking for:
AMBASSADORS - Help us spread the word about the risks associated with dense breasts and the screening challenges. You can email or hand out leaflets/brochures to women’s organizations, support groups, health professionals, naturopaths, gyms, churches.
Invite your friends to follow Nova Scotia Breast Screening Advocates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Share posts where permitted in relevant groups.
INFLUENCERS - Use your influence to spread the word and help make some noise.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS EXPERTISE - Provide your advice, insights to help us make policy change.
COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING EXPERTISE - Use your communications skills to help us plan campaigns and reach our target audience in the most effective way.
PUBLIC RELATIONS EXPERTISE - Help us write effective media releases to ensure our message has wide reach and help us build relationships with media.
ADVOCACY - Contact MLAs, and other government with our prepared letter and/or arrange an in-person visit.
NETWORK LIAISON - Contact and engage breast cancer-related organizations to support our cause (i.e. nurses, oncologists, health professionals, support groups) with a letter that has been prepared already.
VIDEOGRAPHY / PHOTOGRAPHY / WRITERS - Film, capture and write survivor stories and stories of loved ones who lost their battle.
ADMININSTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Help with various administration tasks.
STORY TELLER - Tell your dense breasts story, survivor story or the story of someone else.
CONTACT: nsbreastcanceradvocates@gmail.com
Screening for
Screening for
Dense Breasts
Dense Breasts
Women with dense breasts face a severe disadvantage if mammograms are their only option for breast cancer screening. They deserve equal access to early detection methods, just like women with non-dense breasts, to reduce mortality rates and provide less aggressive treatment options.
Breast density is assigned based on the appearance of breast tissue on a mammogram. Software categorizes breast density using a standardized system called the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), which divides breast density into four categories: A, B, C & D.
In the image above, the more the dense tissue, the more difficult it is to see the cancer.
The category of density is recorded and included in the mammogram report mailed to women. Women with heterogeneously dense or extremely dense breasts (Category C and D) are considered to have dense breasts.
By offering supplemental screening to women with dense breasts, many more cancers could be detected early, potentially saving lives. Dense breast tissue not only makes it harder to detect cancer through mammograms but also increases the risk of developing breast cancer. As a result, women with dense breasts are often diagnosed with larger, more aggressive cancers at a later stage, leading to a poorer prognosis.
Benefits of supplementary screening for women with dense breasts
Benefits of supplementary screening for women with dense breasts
Supplementary screening may detect a small cancer in an early stage, hopefully before it spreads to lymph nodes.
In women with dense breasts, studies show that for every 1000 women screened, ultrasound finds another 2-3 cancers and MRI finds an additional 12-16 cancers that were not seen on mammograms.
We acknowledge that we are located in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral, unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Mi'kmaq. We acknowledge the historic and ongoing systemic barriers and the resulting inequitable treatment of Indigenous peoples in health care and are dedicated to reducing these barriers through information sharing and awareness.
We recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, and contributions have enriched Mi'kma'ki, known as Nova Scotia, for over 400 years. Specifically, we recognize the heightened risk of breast cancer faced by African Nova Scotian women and are dedicated to reducing these barriers through information sharing and advocacy.
We recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, and contributions have enriched Mi'kma'ki, known as Nova Scotia, for over 400 years. Specifically, we recognize the heightened risk of breast cancer faced by African Nova Scotian women and are dedicated to reducing these barriers through information sharing and advocacy.
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