TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26: New digital mammogram equipment has today gone into service at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The machine is equipped to provide stereotactic biopsies — the next diagnostic step following a suspicious mammogram.

In Bermuda last year, breast cancer was the most commonly registered type of cancer in women and it was the third highest cause of death from cancer.

Manager of Mammography, Terricca Glasford said: "As a woman, your risk of breast cancer increases as you get older, so having an annual mammogram once you turn 40 is one of the best chances you can give yourself of catching breast cancer early.

“It should be part of your annual wellness check, just like a pap test for cervical cancer. We do all we can to make sure the mammogram is as comfortable as possible and as this equipment is faster, the test takes as little as half the time of film. We are excited because this new digital technology will provide greater accuracy and increased ease of use for our patients, and will help us save lives."

See more on this story in tomorrow’s Royal Gazette