Silver anniversary of life saving services

Action Cancer is celebrating the 25th anniversary of two of its life saving services – the mobile detection unit and mammography services.

Gloria Hunniford launched the services in 1978 outside City Hall in Belfast and since then, the mobile unit has played an important role in the early detection of cancers. The unit returned to City Hall with its current ambassador, Nuala McKeever, to mark the anniversary.

Last year alone 2,500 women visited the unit, with many subsequently visiting Action Cancer’s breast clinics for a mammogram and further advice. The message of early detection is essential to Action Cancer’s work since breast and cervical cancers can be treated more successfully if the condition is detected early enough.

Liz Atkinson, Director of Services explains the importance of the services, “At Action Cancer we’re committed to making early detection services as accessible as possible to everyone in our community. In the past that meant being the first to offer mammography. Today now that we are fortunate enough to have NHS Screening programmes, it's about targeting social need and getting out into the community with the mobile service and extending the availability of mammography to women of 45 years and older .”

To find out more information about early detection, visit Action Cancer’s website at www.actioncancer.org