by Jessica Mendoza, PIC Network Contributor
Courtesy of Sunsets for You
What’s the greatest risk for getting breast cancer? Being a woman. In fact, the American Cancer Society (ACS) reports women have a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer some time during their lives.
There is no cure (yet), but there are things we all can do to reduce our risk of getting breast cancer. And every year, during October (National Breast Cancer Awareness Month), we are reminded of the importance of breast health.
The Facts
More likely than not, you or someone you know has been affected by breast cancer.
- According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 211,000 American women and about 1,700 American men learn they have breast cancer each year.
- The ACS reports that there are about two and half million breast cancer survivors right now in the United States.
- The older a woman is, the more likely she is to develop breast cancer. According to the ACS, 95 percent of American women diagnosed with breast cancer are ages 40 and up.
Learn about the risk factors of breast cancer.
Prevention
Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel. The best way to know this is to have regular breast self-exams. If there are any changes in your breasts, you should contact your doctor. It could be the sign of a problem.
Although self-exams are important, so are clinical breast exams and mammograms performed by your doctor. A mammogram is an x-ray that shows the inner breast tissue. Doctors use mammograms to make sure there aren’t any abnormal growths like lumps, cysts or tumors in your breasts.
Treatment and recovery are more likely to be effective when cancer is found early.
Steps you should take to screen for breast cancer:
- Starting in their 20s, women should perform monthly breast self-exams. Learn how to do a self-exam.
- Women ages 20 to 39 should have a clinical breast exam (an exam performed by a doctor) at least once every 3 years.
- Women ages 40 and up should have a clinical breast exam and a mammogram each year.
Remember, the earlier you detect breast cancer, the better.
Free and Low-Cost Mammograms
By now you know that getting a mammogram is the best method for early detection of breast cancer. Most health insurance companies pay for the cost of breast cancer screening tests. But if your insurance company doesn’t pay for them or if you don’t have health insurance, there are ways to get free and low-cost mammograms:
- The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offers free and low-cost mammograms for women who don’t have health insurance. Contact a local program for more information.
- Contact Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s breast care helpline at 1 (877) GO-KOMEN [1 (877) 465-6636] (toll-free) to find out how to get a free or low-cost mammogram and to find a certified radiology center in your area.
- The YWCA has a free national program called ENCOREplus®, which provides breast cancer information and free or low-cost screening mammograms for women in need. Contact your local YWCA program to see if they offer ENCOREplus®.
More Information:
Learn more about breast cancer on our sister site, the Beehive.
Do you have Medicare? Medicare pays for most of the cost of a screening mammogram every 12 months. Medicare will pay for a diagnostic mammogram at any time if you need it. Learn more.
