Have you examined your breasts lately? Scheduled your annual mammogram?
For reasons I cannot fully explain, women tend to put off doing the very things that can save their lives. This is despite our knowledge that time can be an enemy in the fight against breast cancer. I’m sharing my story, and some important information, because I think we can all agree that early detection improves outcomes.
Adult women of all ages should perform breast self-exams at least once a month. The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) notes that 40% of diagnosed breast cancers are first detected by women who feel a lump, so performing a self-exam regularly is important.
NBCF also recommends annual mammograms starting at age 40 — earlier if you have risk factors such as a family history of breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about the timeline that is right for you.
The benefits of early detection are great considering these stark facts about breast cancer from NBCF:
- On average, every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, except for skin cancers. An estimated 30% of all new cancer diagnoses in women are breast cancer.
- One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
- In 2022, an estimated 287,500 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women, as well as 51,400 new cases of noninvasive (in situ) breast cancer.
- This year, an estimated 43,550 women will die from breast cancer.
The
American Cancer Society provides a host of data by age group that also is very informative.
So why do we procrastinate? There are many reasons for delaying a mammogram. Sure, it’s not the most comfortable procedure. If we’re in our early 40s, we probably feel fine and have an “it’s-not-going-to-happen-to-me” mentality. The above statistics show how dangerous this thinking can be.
On the other hand, advancements in screening and treatment have extended survival rates. Consider Olivia Newton-John, who died recently from breast cancer that was diagnosed 30 years prior, when she was 43 years old. According to NBCF, there are more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
In my case, a friend’s social media post prompted me to schedule a mammogram. When I saw that this friend, who is younger than I am, had breast cancer, it served as my wakeup call. So I got tested. The results came back positive, leading to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. I’m just finishing my radiation treatment, and the outlook is very positive.
I am so thankful to my health-care team, and for the support I have received from my family, friends, and colleagues at Brown & Brown and NetVU. I greatly appreciate it!
And now my plea to you is to get your screening this month, then treat yourself to some Halloween candy.
Bonnie Wood is director of retail COTS at Brown & Brown Insurance in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Sources:
National Breast Cancer Foundation, https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org.
American Cancer Society, “Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2019-2020,” https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-facts.