Finding It Early Changes Everything
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among South African women, and in communities like ours it is still found too late, too often. Not because women don’t care. Because screening feels like something you do when you have time, money and no fear. Early breast cancer is highly treatable. Late breast cancer is a different conversation entirely.
Book a breast screening, 012 798 7000
The whole pathway, in one place
Most women’s real fear is not the mammogram. It’s what happens next. So here it is.
- Screening. Mammography and breast ultrasound, on site, by Motshudi, Kekana and Partners Radiologists.
- Diagnosis. If something is seen, a biopsy is taken and examined by our on-site pathology service, Ampath Laboratory. You are not sent across Pretoria for this.
- Surgery. Our general surgeons perform breast surgery: lump removal, wider excision, and mastectomy where it is needed, with lymph node assessment.
- Treatment. Our medical oncologist consults here, so cancer treatment and follow-up can continue close to home. Where radiotherapy is needed, it is arranged for you and your specialists stay involved in your care.
- Recovery. Physiotherapy for shoulder movement and lymphoedema, occupational therapy for getting back to work and daily life, and psychological support for the part nobody warns you about.
You would be starting this close to home, with your family able to visit.
Who we help
- Women from their 40s, the age to start discussing regular screening
- Women of any age with a new lump, thickening, skin dimpling or puckering, nipple change or discharge, or persistent pain in one spot
- Women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, as screening may need to start earlier
- Men with a breast lump. Male breast cancer is uncommon but real, and it is usually found late because nobody expects it
- Patients already diagnosed who want treatment closer to home
What to expect at a mammogram
It takes minutes. Your breast is briefly compressed between two plates, uncomfortable for a few seconds, not painful for long. It is done privately, by a trained radiographer, and you are told when and how you’ll get your results. That’s it. That’s the whole thing people postpone for years.
Ultrasound is often used alongside mammography, particularly in younger women with denser breast tissue.
Cost and medical aid
Screening mammograms are covered by most medical aids, often annually from a preventative benefit, and we check before you arrive. Diagnostic tests and surgery require authorisation, which we handle. Cash patients: ask for the fixed fee.
Your specialists
Radiology
Pathology
General Surgeons (breast surgery)
Medical Oncologist
Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
Full profiles and consulting details are in our specialist directory.
Questions people actually ask
When should I start having mammograms?
Discuss it with a doctor from your 40s. Earlier if breast cancer or ovarian cancer runs in your family, sometimes considerably earlier.
Do I need a referral to have a mammogram?
No. You can book a screening mammogram directly, without a referral from a doctor. Call 012 798 7000.
I’m scared of what they’ll find. Isn’t it better not to know?
It is a completely understandable fear, and it is the single biggest reason women don’t come. But breast cancer does not pause while you avoid it. It only becomes harder to treat. Most lumps turn out to be harmless, and the ones that aren’t are far more survivable when found small.
What happens if they find something?
You are not left to work it out alone. A biopsy confirms what it is, and if treatment is needed, surgery and oncology are arranged, with someone walking you through each step.
Can men get breast cancer?
Yes. It is uncommon, but a lump or nipple change in a man needs the same assessment a woman’s would, and men typically present later because they don’t think it applies to them.
Will I lose my breast?
Not necessarily. Many early cancers are treated by removing the lump and surrounding tissue rather than the whole breast. What is possible depends on the size, type and stage, which is exactly why finding it early matters so much.
Related departments
Radiology · General Surgery · Oncology · Pathology · Gynaecology & Obstetrics · Physiotherapy · Occupational Therapy · Psychology
Medical aids accepted, with pre-authorisation handled for you.
Book a breast screening, 012 798 7000