Women across the country are being reminded to register by March 20 for the free Saturday, March 23rdbreast abnormalities and health screening examination for calendar year 2019.
The screening is carried out on scheduled Saturdays between 8.30am to 3.00pm. In addition to the scheduled date of March 23, April 6 and April 13thare also scheduled.
The screenings target population are women 18+ years of age.
In order to participate in the screenings, you need to register as it is based on appointment. You can call or email: 554-4532 or cgolding@aucmed.edu
The screenings take place at the Vineyard Office Park Building in Philipsburg at the Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA).
CPS is one of three stakeholders which includes the Positive Foundation, and the American University of the Caribbean (AUC), the latter, is lead research agency.
The breast screening will be carried out by an AUC physician which includes an educational presentation on risk factors and a clinical demonstration about breast cancer.
The health screening conducted by AUC students will include collecting data on height, weight, vision, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol during the screening process.
Although the purpose of this study is to screen for risk factors, as well as estimate prevalence of breast abnormalities in the patient population of Sint Maarten, it will give the three partners insights
into the types of breast abnormalities and risk factors in women who are over 18+ years of age.
Breast abnormalities represent a large spectrum of disorders including benign, congenital, hormonal and malignancies such as breast cancer.
Major risk factors for breast cancer in women are age, genetic predisposition and hormonal imbalance. Breast density is also a significant factor, especially in women 40 to 49 years of age.