Alberta Health Services wants to make sure the message of early detection for breast cancer is heard loud and clear this month.

According to AHS one of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime which means about 2,500 women are diagnosed a year.

Harmony McRae, community coordinator with Screen Test Alberta, says mammograms are a huge key to success in treating breast cancer.

"Early detection with screening mammography has been shown to actually help find these breast cancers in their early stages. A mammogram can find a lump about two to three years before it's large enough to be felt by a woman or her doctor so when we find these cancers in their early stage they're much more treatable."

About 90% of women are now surviving breast cancer due to early detection.

Screen Test offers a mobile mammography service that visits about 120 communities in the province each year to help make mammograms more accessible to women living in rural areas.

McRae says it's important to set the record straight with a lot of misinformation out there about mammograms.

"It's really important in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month to acknowledge that screening mammograms are very important and it's the best tool we have to find breast cancer early so we really want to encourage women to make sure they know about what they should be doing for their breast health and to go get screened regularly and talk to their doctor if they questions about it."

This year Screen Test celebrated it's 25th anniversary.

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