The breast cancer screening mobile unit will not be coming to Estevan just yet.
The bus was scheduled to be in Estevan from Jan. 16 to March 2, but equipment difficulties have been cited for the need to remove the unit from service. The mobile is now being retrofitted with a new digital equipment installation.
Sangeeta Gupta, manager of the screening program for breast cancer at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, said there was "sudden equipment failure" in the mobile unit and they were unable to take exposures with the mammogram machine.
"We recognized the problem right away," said Gupta, noting that they had plans to do an upgrade to digital equipment. "We realized it was time to do the retrofit."
To repair the analog mammogram machine would have cost about $36,000, so moving right into the installation of new equipment seemed to them like the best thing to do. The digital upgrade will cost about $500,000, so it can continue to serve the roughly 10,000 women it screens each year, with more women participating in the mobile screening all the time.
"(Digital) is the standard in breast imaging," she added.
For those who were expecting to take advantage of the mobile unit's services when it arrived in Estevan, there are a couple of options available now. Gupta said the last time the unit was in Estevan would have been around this time two years ago, so women who are screened each year may want to make an appointment in Regina, Saskatoon or one of the satellite offices to receive their screening.
Gupta expects the mobile unit will back in Estevan in June, and some women may wish to wait until then, particularly those who have difficulties travelling.
She added that these screenings shouldn't be put on hold too much, especially for women who receive annual screenings.
"Cancers found early are just more treatable," said Gupta. "Early detection is the best defence possible."
With the digital retrofit, images taken with the mammogram machine will be visible immediately, so there is instant feedback if there is something wrong with the image. The analog images had to be sent to Regina for processing, and sometimes if the exposure was too dark, there would have to be another exposure taken, bringing in the patient for a second appointment.
The digital images allow magnification for better viewing of potential threats in the breast and are easier to transfer between centres. Gupta said the images still need to be sent to Regina for viewing, but noted that this is the first step on the way to being able to read the mammograms on the mobile unit.
"The biggest advantage is to have the images available instantly, so we can look and see if anything else needs to be done."
There is also a decrease in radiation exposure because of the different way the digital equipment penetrates the breast. Gupta said the new machine uses a tungsten-rhodium filter which can have up to a 50 per cent dose reduction, varying among women. Women aren't exposed to a large amount of radiation during mammograms-saskcancer.ca says doses have decreased 98 per cent in the last 20 years-but Gupta noted that for women who receive the screening each year, the difference could be significant.
With the mobile screening unit back in Estevan in June once the bus becomes fully operational again, Gupta reminds women that those eligible for screenings are over 50 years old, do not have breast cancer symptoms, do not have breast implants and are not on active follow-up for breast cancer.
In the meantime, women who require screening are asked to make appointments in Regina or Saskatoon, or one of the satellite offices in Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Yorkton, North Battleford or Prince Albert.
