Harris Hospital Offers Mammogram Screenings

Newport, AR (September 16, 2009) - In 2008, approximately 182,460 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women in the United States, along with 67,700 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer, and over 40,000 will die.  While doctors and scientists are still working toward a cure, they are making progress in fighting this deadly disease. Breast cancer death rates have dropped in recent years thanks to early detection, new technology and improved treatments.

Early detection is one of the most important factors in the lowering breast cancer fatality rates. Though the chance of a woman having breast cancer during her life is one in eight (13%), the chance of dying from breast cancer is only one in 33. If the cancer is found before it spreads to other parts of the body, it is much easier to treat. Therefore, it is recommended that women perform breast monthly self-examinations beginning at an early age. When women know how their breasts usually feel, they can more easily detect unusual lumps early and report them to a physician.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, women in their 20s and 30s should also receive a clinical breast exam from their doctor every three years while women age 40 and over should have a clinical breast exam and a mammogram, a type of x-ray for the breast, every year. Women with relatives who have had breast cancer should begin getting mammograms five years before that relative was diagnosed, as breast cancer can be passed down genetically.

• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer besides lung cancer. 
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers are breast cancer. 
• Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women. 
• As of 2008, there are about 2.5 million women in the U.S. who have survived breast cancer. 
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer. 
• About 5-10% of breast cancers are caused by gene mutations inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they often are diagnosed at a younger age (before age 50). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. Men with a BRCA1 mutation have a 1% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70 and a 6% risk when they have a BRCA2 mutation. 
• About 90% of breast cancers are due not to heredity, but to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general.