October is Breast Care Awareness Month
Posted on 11/1/2003
Did you know that your wife, sister, or mother, or maybe even you have a one in nine chance of developing breast cancer in your lifetime? A woman will die from breast cancer every 13 minutes and over 1 million women in our country have died of this disease since 1970. Both it’s cause and its cure remain a mystery.
Breast cancer is not just a woman’s disease; men can develop it, too. This year, 1,300 cases of male breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, and 400 of them will die from the disease.
For women, the threat is much greater. This year 39,800 women are expected to die of breast cancer, as it’s the second leading cause of cancer death for all women (after lung cancer), and the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 20 and 59.
Breast cancer cannot yet be prevented, but early detection is the key to battling it.
“Here at St. Alexius, we follow the American Cancer Society recommendations,” said Pam Borchers, Lead Diagnostic Tech with the St. Alexius Mammography Department. “Because breast cancer incidence increases with age, and rises sharply after age 40, there are two categories. Women age 20 to 39 should give themselves monthly breast exams as well as have a yearly clinical breast exam. Women age 40 and up should also have monthly self exams and yearly clinical exams, but also a yearly mammogram.”
There is good news in the fight against breast cancer. Over 80% of biopsied breast abnormalities prove to be benign and if breast cancer is detected early, it can be treated effectively with surgery that preserves the breast, followed by radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapies. There are over two million breast cancer survivors in our country today.
Again, early detection is the key to such encouraging statistics. The St. Alexius Mammography Department will once again be extending their hours until 6:00 p.m. every Wednesday during the month of October, as well as giving a gift to those who come in, in order to recognize Breast Care Awareness. Call 530-5550 to schedule an appointment.
Statistics were taken from www.nabco.org. (National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organization). For more information please contact: Jamie Dunnigan, St. Alexius Marketing, 530-7053, [email protected].