Posted on December 11, 2018
By Dr. Traci Thompson Ferguson
Due to the hectic
schedules most women over 40 years of age live with every day, it’s easy for
them to find themselves at the end of December realizing they haven’t
accomplished one of their most important responsibilities for the
year…scheduling their mammogram.
It’s not too late
though. Here are five facts to consider when you think you have no time for a
mammogram:
·
On average, a woman
is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes. Sadly, one woman will die
from breast cancer every 13 minutes.
·
About 1 in 8 U.S.
women (about 12.4 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course
of her lifetime. For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher
than those for any other cancer except lung cancer.
·
Scheduling regular
mammograms can help find breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is
most successful. A mammogram can find breast changes that could be cancer years
before physical symptoms develop.
·
While 1 in 4 women
detect breast cancer themselves through self-examination, regular mammograms
would increase their survival rate. This is because by the time breast cancer
is big enough to be felt as a lump, it is often at a more advanced stage.
·
Results from
decades of research show that women who have regular mammograms are more likely
to have breast cancer detected early. They are less likely to need chemotherapy
and aggressive treatment like surgery to remove the breast, and are more likely
to be cured.
As 2018 draws to a
close, take time to schedule your mammogram. If you aren’t able to do it in
December, there are few healthier ways to kick of your New Year.
Click to view
our video highlighting breast cancer awareness – it
could truly be a lifesaver!
Dr. Traci Thompson Ferguson is the chief medical director of
medical management for WellCare Health Plans.
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