Henderson, Nebraska – October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Since the program began in 1985, mammography rates have more than doubled for women age 50 and older and breast cancer deaths have declined.
This is exciting progress, but there are still women who do not take advantage of early detection at all and others who do not get screening mammograms and clinical breast exams at regular intervals. Currently, women age 65 and older are less likely to get mammograms than younger women, even though breast cancer risk increases with age.
If all women age 40 and older took advantage of early detection methods – mammography plus clinical breast exam – breast cancer death rates would drop much further, potentially up to 30 percent.
The key to mammography screening is that it be done routinely – once is not enough.
Help us decrease the rates of breast cancer deaths by using the month of October to catch up on your yearly screenings by scheduling your mammogram and clinical breast exam. For more information or to schedule an appointment call (402) 723-4512.
For more information about NBCAM, please visit www.nbcam.org. For additional information, please call one of the following toll-free numbers:
American Cancer Society,(800) 227-2345, National Cancer Institute (NCI), (800) 4-CANCER, Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, (800) 221-2141.
Kelsey Bergen
