Breast Cancer Awareness month

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) 2013, Action Cancer and Gordons Chemists, set a new record, encouraging 3,200 local women to come forward for a breast screening.

Action Cancer, which recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary, is the only charity in the UK and Ireland to offer free breast screening to asymptomatic women aged 40 – 49 and over 70, those who fall outside the NHS screening age range (50 – 70).

For every 1,000 women screened an average of six cancers are detected. This means that as a result of the recent BCAM campaign, 19 cancers will be detected that otherwise may have gone unnoticed and 3,181 women will be given peace of mind.

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The 23% increase on last year’s campaign figures has been partially attributed to Action Cancer’s new online booking system.

Fiona McQuillan, Pharmacist for Gordons Chemists said: “Our relationship with Action Cancer literally saves lives. Our staff and customers are committed to raising vital funds and this year we raised in excess of £20,000, enabling more than 250 women to avail of a free breast screening appointment. We believe very strongly in the service Action Cancer provides and the lives that are being saved in the communities we serve, so we’re proud to continue to help spread this important and potentially life-saving health message.”

Joanna Currie, Action Cancer Consultant Radiographer added: “Every October we organise a BCAM campaign to raise awareness and highlight the importance of early detection in saving lives by encouraging women to come for a screening. We know that most people lead very busy lives juggling work & family commitments and can’t always ring to make an appointment during 9am - 5pm office hours. For this reason we launched online booking so women can make their appointment at a time which best suits them.

“We also took our Big Bus to Gordons’ stores which are situated in the heart of local communities. This allowed local women to be proactive about their health. These figures illustrate the success in taking services to where they are needed and making the appointment process as easy as possible.”

Women aged 40-49 and 
70 plus can book a breast screening online at www.actioncancer.org or call 028 9080 3344.