More women in the Werribee electorate are being urged to have a regular breast cancer check, with new data revealing participation rates in Victoria’s free screening program are remaining relatively unchanged.

Member for Werribee Tim Pallas today released BreastScreen Victoria’s report card for the electorate of Werribee that shows local participation rates of women aged 50-74 in the free breast cancer screening service.

Every year, more than 4,000 women in Victoria are diagnosed with breast cancer and 700 die from the disease.

Finding breast cancer early, before it is even felt or noticed, gives women the best chance of successful treatment and survival.

BreastScreen Victoria’s report cards help raise awareness of the lifesaving screening service, and are a timely reminder that there is more work to do to reduce the burden of breast cancer.

The Victorian state wide participation rate is 52 per cent, still well below the national target of 70 per cent.

In the Werribee electorate, the participation rate is 46 per cent, which is below the state average. It is estimated that 4,512 eligible women in Werribee were not screened in 2013-15.

BreastScreen Victoria screened a record of more than 246,000 Victorian women in 2015-16, with this number expected to grow to more than 252,000 this financial year. The service has clinics located in Footscray and Werribee.

A regular breast screen every two years is the best way to find cancer early. The biggest risk factor is being a woman aged over 50.

BreastScreen Victoria is jointly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments and provides services at 40 fixed screening clinics and two mobile screening vans visiting 29 locations every two years.

For more information or to book a scan visit www.breastscreen.org.au or call 13 20 50.

Quotes attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas

 “A regular breast screen has the power to find cancer early and save lives. However, only 46 per cent of women in the target age range living in the Werribee electorate are being screened.”

“I call on eligible women in the Werribee electorate to book an appointment today – it takes just 10 minutes, it’s with a woman, and it’s free.”

“Early detection is the key to survival. We know that when breast cancer is found earlier, it is more likely to be smaller and treatment is more likely to be successful.”