Screen Test Mobile Mammography Clinic Celebrates 30 Years of Service
September 2021

This September marks the 30th anniversary of AHS Screen Test Mobile Mammography. Since launching in 1991, we have made a positive impact on the lives of women living in many of Alberta’s rural and remote communities.

We continually strive to help reduce barriers by providing free breast cancer screening where women live. Since the first mobile screening clinic, we have completed over 308,500 screening mammograms (an x-ray of the breast) and found 1,845 cases of breast cancer.

About Screen Test Mobile

Screen Test Mobile is a service provided by AHS as part of the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Program. Staffed by an incredible team of technologists, our two 53-foot mobile screening units are “clinics on wheels”.

We visit 120 rural and remote communities across Alberta, including 26 Indigenous communities, to offer high quality digital screening mammograms that consistently meet or exceed national standards.

Clients in many of these rural communities say that if it weren’t for Screen Test, they likely wouldn’t be able to have regular mammograms.

“Would not get screened if the bus did not come to Mayerthorpe! So glad this service is provided to us!” – Mayerthorpe client

AHS is proud to bring this critical service to women throughout the province.

Breast cancer screening and you

Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women and the second leading cause of female cancer deaths in Alberta.

The good news – having regular screening mammograms is the best way to find breast cancer early, before there are symptoms and when treatment may work better. Remember, breast cancer screening is for people who may feel healthy and have no symptoms.

If you’re 50 to 74 years of age, we encourage you to make screening mammograms part of your regular health routine. Get screened every two years or as decided by you and your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns about your breast health.

Mobile Mammography service detects early-stage breast cancer
Story by Yolanda Genu l Photo by Nicole Kulba
October 14, 2020

Joan Tiedemann knows the importance of early detection of breast cancer, because she’s alive to tell her story.

“Getting the news was unexpected. My legs were knocked right out from under me,” says the 73-year-old, who learned about her breast cancer diagnosis in 2018.

Ironically, Tiedemann is very familiar with the world of mammograms (breast X-rays) and breast cancer — she’s been a volunteer at Tofield Health Centre’s mobile mammography clinic for three years.

Despite regularly offering comforting words to nervous clients and helping them fill out questionnaires, Tiedemann had no inkling that breast cancer could happen to her.

“I didn’t expect the news because no one in my family has a history of breast cancer,” she adds.

Eighty per cent of women who develop breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer, says Joan Hauber, manager of Alberta Health Services’ Screen Test program.

Moreover, the risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. Women aged 50 to 74 are encouraged to get regular mammograms. For most, this is usually every two years. Hauber advises women who notice any changes in their breasts to see their healthcare provider as early as possible.

Although mammograms are performed at specific radiology clinics and some hospitals across Alberta, for women like Tiedemann who live in rural areas, the mammography trailer visits 120 communities every year to bring this necessary service to them.

Fortunately, Tiedemann was volunteering in the right place at the right time: A technologist checked the date of Tiedemann’s last mammogram — and found it was six years overdue. After two mammograms, two ultrasounds and a biopsy, Tiedemann was given the news.

“They caught the cancer early,” she says. “After surgery I went to the Cross Cancer in Edmonton for radiation, where I had 16 treatments.”

Tiedemann stayed at the Sorrentino’s Compassion House, which supports women from northern Alberta while they receive treatment. She adds she was thankful to be closer to her treatment centre, and to know that she wasn’t alone.

She admits she found her radiation treatments scary. “It’s kind of intimidating, but all the health professionals were empathetic, and gave me time to get comfortable.”

The independent-minded senior says she’s also grateful for her son and daughter-in law, a Licensed Practical Nurse, for providing follow-up support.

Her journey has also included getting a prosthetic, which is inserted into a lined pocket of her bra.

“I went to a boutique, and they helped me pick out bras because I couldn’t wear one like I did before. This gave me my confidence back.

“I’m healed and feel great with the prosthetic. The clothes look so much better, and it makes me feel better.”

Statistics from the Screen Test program indicate one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Screening through mammograms is the best way to detect breast cancer early, when treatment has the best chance of working.

“Go get your breasts checked because you have no way of knowing until you get checked. I couldn’t feel my lump because it was still very small,” says Tiedemann. “If the technologist didn’t say ‘get in there and get the mammogram,’ I would not have gotten checked.”

She emphasizes women should book their mammogram without delay. “Every year I’ll have a mammogram. I had my six-month checkup in January.”

Cancer screening services throughout the province may continue to use COVID precautions, including mask wearing, decreased number of appointments to support physical distancing.  Please check with your service provider about the precautions before your appointment.

As of June 15th, FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test) testing has resumed in Alberta. If you’re between the ages of 50 and 74, talk to your healthcare provider to see if FIT is the right colorectal cancer screening test for you.

Your healthcare provider will give you a lab requisition form to get your FIT kit. Please be sure to bring this form with you when picking up and dropping off your FIT kit.

Getting your FIT results

Regular mail correspondence sent from the Alberta Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, including FIT results has also resumed. Please contact your healthcare provider if you have any questions about your result.

Remember that it’s important to see your healthcare provider if you develop any bowel symptoms.

Colonoscopy appointments and COVID-19: Is it safe to go?

A colonoscopy is the recommended follow-up test for patients who have an abnormal FIT result. We want to assure Albertans that Alberta Health Services continues to follow all public health recommendations and infection prevention and control measures. These updated measures help keep everyone safe and reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. As such, it’s important that you don’t delay going for your appointment.

If you have concerns about whether you should have a follow-up test done, please speak to your healthcare provider. For more information on how you can protect yourself and others from COVID-19, visit ahs.ca/covid.

The pandemic response to COVID-19 has required interruptions to routine screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. Through the collective efforts of Albertans, we are helping to slow the spread of COVID-19. This has given AHS confidence to begin resuming breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening appointments. This will be done using a cautious and phased approach, following all public health and safety considerations.

Mammograms

As of May 19th, some health clinics began resuming routine breast cancer screening.  All clinics have adopted enhanced health and safety practices. To book an appointment, please contact the clinic where you would like to get your mammogram. (You can find a list of available clinics near you)  Ask when they will be reopening and what safety measures you will need to follow to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This may include activities like completing a pre-screening assessment to make sure you are feeling well, wearing a face mask, or waiting in your car until you’re called to come in. These actions will help keep you and others safe while making sure you continue to get the health services you need.

Pap and FIT Tests

Patients are asked to contact their healthcare provider to determine when regular Pap tests should resume. FIT tests will resume at a later date. This will allow lab services to focus on COVID-19 testing.  Updates will be provided on the website when timelines are confirmed. If you have an urgent concern such as a new symptom or a previous screen requiring immediate follow-up, contact your healthcare provider. Depending on the concern, you may be seen before routine screening services resume.

Thank you for your continued patience and efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19. We know this is an adjustment, but together we are keeping each other safe!

Resumption of Colonoscopy Procedures

Patients needing a colonoscopy: Cases will be prioritized based upon patient’s general health and the length of time they have waited for a procedure.  If you’ve been waiting for a procedure and your health has changed, it’s important to let your family doctor know so that you can be reassessed.  Endoscopy clinics will be in touch with you in the upcoming weeks to discuss booking your appointment. FIT testing will resume in Alberta at a later date.

Abnormal Pap Test Result – Next Steps

Patients who received an abnormal Pap test result letter: Please contact your healthcare provider to discuss your results. They’ll let you know what the next steps will be, including the need for follow-up appointments.

Update June 17 2020 – The majority of AHS Screening Programs correspondence has resumed.  If you have questions about your letter please call 1-866-727-3926.

Update May 25 2020 – In response to the COVID-19 situation, AHS Screening Programs will continue to only send abnormal results letters to eligible Albertans. All other letters, including invitations, normal results and reminder letters, are postponed at this time. AHS Screening Programs will resume its correspondence program in the near future.

March 2020 – Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, beginning March 16, 2020, AHS Screening Programs will only be sending abnormal results letters to eligible Albertans. All other letters, including invitation, normal results and reminder letters, will be postponed until further notice. If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-866-727-3926.

Service on the go – Mobile cancer screening program saving lives
Story by Heather Kipling, AHS

Though she admits it’s not one of the most comfortable things she has ever done, May Ann Swanson is quick to point out that going for a screening mammogram has certainly been among the most important.

Now a regular patient when Screen Test’s mobile mammography units roll into Wainwright, Swanson couldn’t be happier with the service that provided early detection of breast cancer and gave her the best chances of a full recovery.

“I go every year and I swear by it,” says Swanson, who had both her mother and mother-in-law before her have lumps in their breasts detected by a mammogram. Swanson began using Screen Test’s mobile units in 2002. Only four years later, a screening mammogram detected the small lump in her breast, which was already spreading. “When the surgeon removed the lump, it also required the removal of 12 lymph nodes. If it hadn’t been found then, it could have been much worse for me.”

Providing early detection of breast cancer and other breast health concerns is at the very heart of Alberta Health Services’ Screen Test, which operates under the umbrella of the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Program. Screen Test offers screening mammograms at two fixed locations — one in Edmonton and one in Calgary — and uses mobile units to visit more than 120 rural communities annually.

The mobile units are 53-foot semi-trailers, each one a self-contained screening facility complete with a reception room, dressing rooms and an exam room equipped with state-of-the-art digital mammography units.

“For women in rural communities, particularly those who do not have easy access to mammography facilities, the mobile units give them the ability to get the same service as women in larger centres without having to travel,” says Screen Test manager Joan Hauber. “We’re able to increase the number of women actually having regular mammograms and the more women who have regular mammograms, the better chance we have to detect cancers early. And early detection is so important. It can reduce the chance of dying from breast cancer by 30 per cent.”

Screening mammography is the only tool that has been proven to significantly reduce the mortality from breast cancer. A screening mammogram can detect a breast cancer up to two to three years before it would otherwise be detected by the patient or their doctor.

Screen Test targets women 50 to 74; when women in Alberta turn 50, they receive an invitation letter to undergo a screening mammogram. It is recommended women in the target age have a screening mammogram at least every two years.

For breast cancer survivors like Swanson, it’s a recommendation she champions. “It’s not the most comfortable thing you’ll ever do but it is so important for your health. It gives you the best chances,” she says. “I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough for what Screen Test did for me.”

Learn more about Screen Test.

January 2019

The new resource, Informed Decision Making and Breast Density booklet gives important information on what breast density is and why it matters for breast cancer screening. This resource shares pros and cons of screening to help women make informed decisions about whether or not screening is right for them. View this resource.