North London breast screening extended thanks to hi-tech equipment (From Haringey Independent)

North London breast screening extended thanks to hi-tech equipment

11:00am Thursday 20th January 2011 in News By Tristan Kirk

YOUNGER women in Haringey are now eligible for breast screening thanks to new technology at a north London health trust.

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital last year decided to splash out £2m on digital x-ray equipment for the North London Breast Screening Service at Edgware Community Hospital.

The new machines, which produces more precise, digital images, have enabled doctors to lower the age of women invited for screenings from 50 to 47.

Early detection of breast cancer is vital to increasing chances of survival, and the new x-ray can spot cancerous cells at a very early stage, sometimes before the symptoms have emerged.

The service is open to women from Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow and West Hertfordshire, and those ages between 47 and 49 will be gradually invited for a screening over the next six years.