Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase breast cancer awareness and education, while also promoting research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Please consider supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month, whether it be through a donation, or simply by purchasing the “pink” version of your favorite everyday products.
I proudly supported legislation which was signed into law (PA 18-159) and became effective October 1, which advocates for women’s health by expanding insurance coverage for mammograms, including tomosynthesis, a three dimensional mammogram which enables the radiologist to better determine if small cancers are present in the breast tissue. The test has been shown to reduce by 40 percent, patient callbacks for an additional test due to the uncertainty of images.
I am committed to helping spread the word about the importance of this cause, which is meaningful to so many families in our community.
Please be aware of the following facts about breast cancer:
- Breast cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women
- Besides being female, age is the most notable risk factor for breast cancer
- Potentially modifiable risk factors for the disease include weight gain and obesity, use of menopausal hormone therapy, physical inactivity, having high breast tissue density and alcohol consumption
- Mammography can often detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective and a cure is more likely
- In 2018, it’s estimated that among U.S. women and men there will be*: 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,920 breast cancer deaths among women. Also, there will be 2,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 480 breast cancer deaths among men