Cutting-edge 3D breast screening technology will soon be rolled out to our Reading and Assessment Centres across the state – speeding up lifesaving diagnosis and cutting down on invasive procedures.
The Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos recently announced up to $1.8 million for six new digital breast tomosyntheses machines to provide more eligible Victorians with a greater chance of early detection.
For those who are called back for more tests, the machines can take a 3D image, instead of the standard 2D image. It means eligible women can get the all clear quicker.
The new machines will enable state-wide coverage across reading and assessment services, and better access for women – at no cost The full roll out is expected to be completed by mid-2020.
Thanks to earlier detection and better treatments, more Victorian women are surviving breast cancer, with the five-year survival rate now at 91 per cent compared to 73 per cent in 1986.
But we know we need to do more to save more lives. Breast cancer is the second most common new cancer in Victoria, with 4,524 Victorian women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and 779 dying from the disease.
If you're aged between 50 and 74, book your free breast screen by calling 13 20 50 or booking online.