Breast Cancer Screening Process
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Brochure: The simple facts about having a breastscreen
Personal invitation letter
Queensland Health makes every effort to ensure that eligible women are informed of the BreastScreen Queensland Program. The Program uses the state Electoral Roll to contact Queensland women aged 50 to 69 years to invite them to participate in the Program and encourage them to make an appointment for a free breastscreen. Permission to use the Electoral Roll was granted on the condition that the information remains confidential and is not used for any other purpose. The information is stored under strict security to protect client confidentiality. For more information, refer to the Use of the Electoral Roll information sheet.
If you receive a personalised invitation letter it will contain information about how to make an appointment for a free breastscreen at your nearest BreastScreen Queensland service.
How do I make an appointment?
To make an appointment for your free breastscreen with BreastScreen Queensland, phone 13 20 50 and you will be connected to your nearest BreastScreen Queensland Service for the cost of a local call.
At the time of booking a screening appointment, an administration officer will ask you for essential details such as your name, current residential and/or mailing address, date of birth, time and place of your previous breastscreens and the presence or absence of a breast implant. If you do have a breast prostheses, please tell the staff member so a longer appointment can be made for you. If you have a disability and you will need extra time or assistance during your visit, please convey this information when making an appointment as it may also be necessary to book a longer appointment. Also inform the staff member if you require an interpreter. Interpreting services are available free of charge.
The administration officer will ask when you would like an appointment and will proceed to book you in. A letter confirming your appointment will be posted to you about one week prior to your appointment. Also enclosed in the letter will be a Consent for Screening information sheet and a Consent and Personal Questionnaire Form. The consent sheet outlines the BreastScreen Queensland Program and the screening process. It is important that you read this before completing the Consent and Personal Questionnaire Form.
Arriving at the service
Before leaving home, you will need to bring any pictures/images or results of your most recent breastscreens if you had them at a place other than a BreastScreen Queensland Service.
When arriving at the service, please proceed to the reception desk where you will be greeted by a female staff member. The staff member will check your details and ask you to sign your Consent and Personal Questionnaire Form. You will then be shown to the screening waiting area.
Having a breastscreen
It is preferable to wear a two piece outfit so you can easily remove your top. It is better not to wear any creams, deodorant or talc powder as they can interfere with your breastscreen.
The breastscreen is taken by a specially trained radiographer who will explain the procedure to you. The radiographer will place your breast on the mammography machine and a plastic plate will be lowered to compress your breast so that your breast tissue is spread out. This may feel uncomfortable for a few seconds only. Please tell the radiographer if you find it painful. A picture/image will then be taken. Overall, two pictures, both frontal and side views of each breast will be taken.
After the pictures/images are taken, the radiographer will develop and check them to make sure a good quality image has been taken and to ensure as much breast tissue as possible can be seen. Sometimes the radiographer may need to take another picture/image before you leave.
From the time you enter the service, the whole visit usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes.
What happens after my breastscreen?
Your pictures/images are looked at by at least two specially trained medical professionals, at least one of whom will be a specialist radiologist.
Your results will be posted to you within 10 working days. If you gave consent, your results will also be posted to your doctor. In the majority of cases no signs of breast cancer will be detected. If no abnormalities are detected on your breastscreen, you will be sent a letter for a routine breastscreen in two years time. Having a regular breastscreen every two years is an important part of caring for your health as age is the biggest risk factor in developing breast cancer. Your breastscreens will be securely stored at the service.
About seven in 100 women will be asked to return because their breastscreen showed changes which require further investigation. Being asked to return does not mean you have breast cancer. Less than one per cent of changes on breastscreen turn out to be breast cancer.
If you have to return, a nurse counsellor or medical officer will call you and explain the reason for your return. You will be asked for your consent before any tests are carried out. The tests will be explained to you thoroughly and all tests are provided free of charge by the Queensland Health BreastScreen Queensland Program at your local follow-up assessment service. The tests will be carried out by a team of specialists who may include a radiologist, surgeon, pathologist, doctor, nurse and a radiographer.
This means that you can consult with all the relevant professionals at the same service. More information about assessment procedures can be found in the Assessment Procedures information sheet.
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