Penn Nalam's proposed Awareness and screening program - Early detection of breast and cervical cancer saves lives.

The not for profit, mobile breast cancer, and cervical cancer screening program offer screening to women who are asymptomatic for breast and cervical cancer. The main obstacles for screening programs are the lack of awareness, neglect, cost, fear, and lack of motivation to participate in the screening programs. Creating awareness about the benefits of screening is the first step. This is followed by the provision of the mobile screening bus with facilities to do mammographic screening and cervix cancer screening at their doorstep at a low cost. This will improve the attendance and compliance rates for screening.

Screening mammograms and pap smears are provided at mobile sites in communities, residential areas and at their workplace.

Pap smears are offered to women over the age of 30 yrs annually and Mammograms are offered to women over the age of 40 years.

Screening for breast and cervical cancer will detect disease at an early stage. Early detection has the following advantages.

• Early detection can cure breast cancer and regular Pap Smears can prevent cervical cancer.
• Organ preservation may be possible with early detection.
• Health care costs are less with the early disease as treatment intensity is less.