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Early detection can save your life

Published:Wednesday | October 23, 2019 | 12:23 AM

Breast cancer is the leading cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jamaican women, and it is estimated that one in 21 women in the country will be diagnosed with the disease.

According to the Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan), in Jamaica in 2018, there were:

* 7,348 new cancer cases

* 974 breast cancer cases

* 413 deaths from breast cancer

Predicted incidents of breast cancer in Jamaica, 2020-2040

* 1,010 cases by 2020

* 1,309 cases by 2040

Get screened today.

Mammography screening for breast cancer is available at the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) in Kingston and is also available in the public health sector at Cornwall Regional Hospital, and The University Hospital of the West Indies, as well as at private facilities.

Mammograms cost $4,000 at the JCS; however, it can cost upwards of $10,000 in private facilities around the country.