New Zealand’s free national breast screening programme checks women for signs of early breast cancer. Regular mammograms are available for women aged between 45 and 69 to reduce their risk of dying of breast cancer.

Did you know that...

• Free breast screening for women aged 45 to 69 years is provided by the national breast screening programme, BreastScreen Aotearoa.
• The aim of breast screening is to find very small cancers before a lump can be found on the breast. Early treatment has the best chance of success.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand women.
• The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. Breast cancer is uncommon in women under 50.
• For older women, breast screening using mammography (breast x-rays) followed by appropriate treatment is the best way of reducing the chance of dying from breast cancer.