Public Health - Women’s Cancer Screening Service

Women’s Cancer Screening Service

Aim:

Through the BreastScreen WA Program and the West Australian Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, the Women’s Cancer Screening Program aims to reduce the incidence of morbidity and mortality from cancer of the breast and cancer of the cervix amongst the Western Australian population.

Achievements

The participation rate (percentage of women screened within 27 months) to the end of June 1997 was 56 per cent. This represents an increase of 8 per cent on a participation rate of 48 per cent in 1995/96.
In 1996/97 there was a three-fold increase in the number of statistical requests received and processed by the Cervical Cytology Registry.
Free breast screening for women aged 50 to 69 years.
A Statewide recruitment campaign was developed and a General Practitioner Project was launched in a bid to recruit unscreened and under-screened women.
The Mammography Screening Registry (MSR), a database of information on women in the program, was enhanced through programming improvements. BreastScreen WA passed all requirements of data audit in November 1996.
In August 1996, the booking service for women calling to make an appointment for a mammogram was centralised, including mobile clinic bookings.

Women encouraged to have two-yearly pap smears

In 1996/97, emphasis was given to funding projects which addressed the needs of women from non-English speaking backgrounds, rural and remote areas and Aboriginal women. Educational kits were developed for women from non-English speaking backgrounds and translated into 16 languages. Grants were provided to increase professional education in cervical screening, particularly for training of nurses in rural and remote areas.

The Cervical Cytology Registry (CCR) regularly receives and processes data from pathology laboratories throughout WA. This allows the Registry to provide laboratories with up-to-date follow-up information on request. This year, the CCR also provided laboratories with standard reports in line with National Quality Assurance Program requirements.

The CCR sends follow-up letters to women and providers through the State. The backlog of reminder letters to women who are overdue for their Pap smears has been reduced to the extent where weekly mail-outs will soon be routine.

Breast cancer survivor Jan Geoffrey and daughter Kristi Pietracatella at the launch of BreastScreen WA.