CHARLESTON – This October, the West Virginia Medical Institute (WVMI) supports National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to promote regular mammograms to increase early detection of breast cancer. It is also a time to educate people about how to reduce their risk, empower communities to join the fight and a time to celebrate breast cancer survivors.
According to breastcancer.org, approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States 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, besides lung cancer.
The good news is that early screenings, an annual breast exam by a doctor and annual mammograms for women over 40, have been shown to increase the odds for survival.
If you are age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often you need to schedule a screening.
If you are age 50 and older, get a mammogram every two years. Talk with your doctor to decide if you need a screening more often.
These are general guidelines. It is important to talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family. According to breastcancer.org, a woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15 percent of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it. Consulting with a doctor is the best way to decide when and how often to get a mammogram.
WVMI, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for West Virginia, also has resources and tools available on its Web site to help advance the fight against breast cancer. Visit www.qiwv.org and click on Resources and Prevention to access items like the Breast Cancer Fact Sheet and a link to the West Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Program.
About the West Virginia Medical Institute
The West Virginia Medical Institute, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), protects Medicare patient rights and works collaboratively with hospitals and other health care providers in West Virginia to assist them in their efforts to improve the quality of the care they deliver. To learn more about this non-profit organization, visit www.qiwv.org. CMS is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.