Its not often that breast cancer is overshadowed by another health crisis, but such is life in pandemic times. But what should never take a backseat where breast cancer is concerned is the importance of screening and prevention.

Screening for breast cancer is really important because, while it is quite common and can be deadly, when caught early it is much more treatable and less deadly, said Christy Bridges, a physicians assistant with the Orange County Health Department in Hillsborough. The idea for doing a screening is your looking at someone who doesnt have any symptoms and looking for a concern or a problem. Because you would only screen if you could do something about it. Breast cancer is a cancer we can do something about by screening.

The most-commonly used tool for breast cancer screening is the mammogram. It is recommend women of average risk for breast cancer start discussing screening with their care provider at age 40. Between ages 40 and 50 theres not a strong base of evidence showing any real benefit in undergoing a mammogram. After reaching age 50 the evidence is more clear that breast cancer screening with mammogram is effective. The recommendation of screening every two years with a mammogram starts at age 50.

Health care providers will order a mammogram for a patient. Many health care facilities, like UNC Healthcare, do mammogram screenings at multiple locations. The patient goes in for the mammogram and is given the results through a letter, or if there is a determination that additional follow up is needed, then that can be done either at the time of the screening or at a follow up appointment.

Its often believed that family history is a big factor in the likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer. But this is not necessarily so, said Bridges.

Most women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history. For women who have a family history of breast cancer, we want to discuss that and its good for us to know that so we can determine if they would benefit from a specific, like targeted testing to determine if they have a genetic marker that makes them more of a risk. But the vast number of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer dont have a genetic history. While it is a risk factor, its not the only one.

As far as types of cancer, breast cancer is the most common of new cancer cases in North Carolina, according to 2017 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, making it more common than lung and colon cancers. It is less deadly than lung cancer, but it still is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the state.

While there may not be much difference in the number of breast cancer cases, minorities often face a higher mortality rate.

What we unfortunately see sometimes is that breast cancer is diagnosed at a later stage in African American or Latino women, Bridges said. If youre diagnosed at a later stage, or a more advanced stage of breast cancer, that decreases your likelihood of surviving it. Women-of-color should take any breast cancer concerns seriously and take any opportunity for screening.

Surgery and surgery with radiation is the most common treatment for breast cancer, if it is caught early enough and before it has spread beyond the breast. If the cancer is a more spread, then chemotherapy can be used. Other treatments include hormonal therapy and targeted therapy. Although there are many layers of treatment for breast cancer, the message health professionals want to make clear is the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the easier the treatment tends to be.

For some risk factors, like age and family history, little can be done to decrease the the chance of a cancer diagnosis. But there are steps that can be taken to cut down on other risk factors.

Things you do have control over that are risk factors for breast cancer that someone can alter or change include not being physically active, Bridges said. Increasing your physical activity is protective from breast cancer. Being overweight is a risk factor. Keeping your weight to a healthy level is protective. Alcohol can be a risk factor. Hormonal therapy, like post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy that can be useful in certain instances, can also have some risks. Thats worth a discussion with your care provider.

One of the biggest risk factors is for women who are not connected with a health care provider, or are underinsured. One program that the Orange County Health Department participates in is the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, or the BCCCP, which is a federal and state program with funding to help screen women for breast and cervical cancer who are underinsured or uninsured. The Orange County Health Department participates in the program to help women who may not have a health care provider or be connected to care.

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Screening the key to breast cancer prevention, treatment - newsoforange.com

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