The mammography van is operated by a professional staff from Mor-Mar which specialises in operating mobile imaging services.  The examination is recommended once every two years for women above 50 and annually for women above 40 whose mother or sister has had breast cancer (at-risk population).  All women are recommended to have the exam in coordination with their attending doctor's recommendation.

The mammography van project is done in towns that are remote and in sectors with low response to undergoing these exams which can save lives.  This includes women in development towns, new immigrants, women in Arab villages, and more.  The van remains several days to several weeks in a location, depending on how many women live there.

The general director of the Cancer Society, Miri Ziv, says, "Higher availability of the van along with increased publicity amongst women, with emphasis on the unique sectors of the population, significantly raises the rate of women's response and causes them to take responsibility for their health, leading to reduced deaths from breast cancer in Israel."

The rate of Israeli women's response in having mammography exams, as part of the national programme for early breast cancer detection initiated by the Cancer Society and operated in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the HMOs, has risen in recent years and is presently at an average of around 55%.  There are approximately 150% gaps in response rates to taking the exam between various towns or settlements in Israel.  Overall in Israel more than 2 million mammography exams have been given, of which some 300,000 were in the last year.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Israel.  Some 4,000 women annually are diagnosed as having it.  1 in 8 women in Israel is likely to have breast cancer at some point in her life.  However, research has shown that when the disease is diagnosed early, around 90% of the women are cured, as opposed to low rates of recovery among women who were diagnosed at later stages of the disease.

The Cancer Society purchased the mammography van in order to help reduce these gaps and to allow women in remote settlements to have the exam and potentially save their lives.  The exam is free of charge, part of the health basket, for women in the appropriate age groups: (for women age 50 and above, once every two years; for women at risk (mother or sister has had breast cancer), once a year from age 40.  The exam is offered by the mammography van to members of the Klalit, Maccabbee, and Leumi HMOs who meet the health basket requirements*.  Members of all the HMOs are advised to contact their service to clarify their eligibility.

* (The cost for an exam privately is 220 NIS, but it has not been proven scientifically that it is efficient below the age of 50).

Data from the national programme for early detection of breast cancer, headed by Prof. Gad Renart, matches the annual work plan of the mammography van throughout the country.  The van is staffed by a professional crew from Mor-Mar which is responsible for administering and analysing the diagnostic examinations.  Mor-Mar specialises in the operation of mobile medical imaging services using sophisticated and innovative equipment, including MRI (magnetic resonance imagine) and CT (computerised tomography) vans.  Results of the mammography exam will be sent to the woman's family doctor.  A personal notice of their examination date will be sent to all women in the appropriate age groups at each town the van is coming to.

The Cancer Society, in addition to the national programme for early detection of breast cancer it initiated, holds annual publicity campaigns to promote awareness about breast cancer, works on improving the ways of treating and rehabilitating breast cancer patients, funds establishment of breast health centres, funds tens of staff positions for nurses and social workers dealing with breast cancer treatment, provides professional guidance for treatment staff, and supports and advances research on breast cancer.  The Cancer Society works on improving the rights of the ill and healthy women and improved communication with the National Insurance (Bituach Leumi), as well as expansion of the health basket.  The Society also set up ‘Yad LeHachlamah' (A Hand to Recovery), an organisation of women who have recovered from the disease and are extending a supportive hand to women who have only just become ill with it, proving that this struggle can also be won.

The Cancer Society invites the public to contact its tele-info line, staffed around the clock, for answers to questions or to receive information free of charge regarding cancers and cancer prevention:  Ring 1800-599-995 or visit their website at: www.cancer.org.il .  All the above information is courtesy of the (Hebrew) press release.