THE Jamaica Cancer Society said it has already raised half of the $30 million needed to purchase a new Mobile Mammography Unit which it intends to use to screen as much as 30,000 women islandwide over the next three years.

A news release from the Cancer Society explained that the new Mobile Mammography Unit will allow for a continued breast cancer screening programme for women living in underserved communities.

"Research has shown that medically underserved women have higher breast cancer mortality rates, which is attributed to under-screening and disproportionate rates of late-stage disease at diagnosis," the release quoted Yulit Gordon, the Cancer Society's executive director.

According to Gordon, breast cancer continues to be the number one cause of cancer mortality among Jamaican women. The screening population now stands at over 300,000 between the ages of 40 and 75.

Gordon said that it has not been easy raising the money, as corporate organisations and individuals had made commitments to the Jamaica 50 celebrations and the London Olympics, among other things.

"We had to re-strategise and bring our creative juices to the fore," said Gordon. "Our Relay for Life was a huge success and we introduced a new initiative, the Tree of Hope, which paid huge dividends."

Gordon invited any organisation or individual wishing to contribute towards the acquisition of the new unit to make a deposit to NCB Current Account No 241639207 and BNS Current Account No 800472.