October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Niagara Health, in partnership with Cancer Care Ontario, is encouraging women to participate in the Ontario Breast Screening Program.
The OBSP offers free screening mammograms to women aged 50 to 74.
The local LIHN says only 63 percent of eligible women get screened which is close to the provincial average of 65 percent.
But health officials note, most recent stats from 2013, show that once women start screening they tend to return, at a rate of about 81 percent.
It’s recommended women get a mammogram every two years since early detection can result in significant health benefits including increased treatment options and better survival rates.