"It's not in my family, I've kept relatively good health and have always been fit, so at my age it just hit me like a brick- I didn't expect it.
"A few of my friends have said it's made them more aware of screening, checking and that sort of thing.
"Women need to keep checking themselves."
According to the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, mammograms were the most effective means of early detection in women over 40 and could detect lumps as small as two millimetres in size.
The average size of a lump found by a regular mammogram is 14.5mm- slightly smaller than the second lump discovered in Rogers' breast following her visit to the doctor.
Women in New Zealand can enrol in the National Screening Program to receive free mammograms every two years from ages 45 to 69.
In Australia and the UK, however, the cut off for mammograms is 74.
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner said the foundation had been advocating for an extension of the screening age from 69 to 74 for several years.
"This is critical because we know that women's chances of getting breast cancer are higher at 70 than they are at 50," Rayner said.
"The best practice is to continue with regular breast screening until within 10 years of your expected lifespan which here in New Zealand is 84 years for women.
"A breast cancer diagnosis doesn't always have to end with a terminal result and is entirely survivable if caught early."
In 2017, following the presentation of a 10,000 signature-strong petition, the Coalition Government committed to extending eligibility.
To date, that extension is yet to materialise and according to Rayner the lack of action was not good enough.
The Breast Cancer Foundation also advocates for self-checks as part of a regular routine for women over the age of 20.
"Having a mammogram does not replace self-checks," Rayner said.
"Women with menopausal symptoms are often less focused on self-checks, which is why it's essential to establish the routine early before different health scenarios come into play.
"It's entirely logical that when you're turned away at 69, you think you're no longer at risk. And that's not the case at all."
Rayner likened self-checks to a personal warrant of fitness.
"This takes five or 10 minutes a month- not much for something that could fundamentally save your life," she said.
"We need to prioritise it rather than eventually getting around to it," Rayner said.
Catching up with global best practices
A Ministry of Health (MoH) spokesperson confirmed that, based on the current evidence, extending breast screening to women aged 70 to 74 years was reasonable, but competing priorities within breast screening needed to be considered.
"These include initiatives to increase coverage in Māori and Pacific women aged 45 to 69 years and ensuring service continuity in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic," the spokesperson said.
"At current breast screening rates, there would be 42,000 additional mammogram appointments and 1,600 additional assessments each year.
"The programme needs to build capacity in the specialist workforces, extend facilities and equipment, and upgrade the supporting information system."
The MoH spokesperson added funding to upgrade the BreastScreen Aotearoa information technology system had recently been announced with completion estimated for 2024.
"This enhancement to the technology infrastructure is critical for making safe changes to the screening programme, including any future changes to the age range for breast screening."
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ did not, however, accept claims the IT system lacked capacity.
"Extending the age to 74 is only an additional two mammograms for every woman in that age bracket," Rayner said.
"We believe that's entirely manageable.
"Screening also reduces the impact on the health care system. When you pick it up a later stage, the financial impact is much bigger."
Getting through the Covid-19 backlog
As of November, approximately 54,200 women across the country, 3900 of them in Northland, were currently waiting for mammograms due to a backlog due to Covid-19.
At least 150 of these women were expected to receive a breast cancer diagnosis.
When these women will receive mammograms and whether this will be soon enough for them to access life-saving treatment remains unknown.
"The data and statistics prove the longer you go undiagnosed, the worse your outcomes," Rayner said.
BreastScreen Aotearoa started screening again at full capacity in December and following National Screening Unit guidelines set by MoH.
This year's Budget allocated $1.9 million for BreastScreen Aotearoa to help provide appointments for people who had their screening delayed.
Anyone whose mammogram appointment was affected by lockdown restrictions is being contacted and rebooked.
MoH said it was important for all women to be familiar with their breasts in order to identify any abnormal changes.
Women of any age should contact their doctor as soon as possible if they feel or notice anything unusual.
To find out more, visit: www.breastcancerfoundation.org.nz to learn about self-exams and risk factors you can minimise through lifestyle changes.
