According to the 2019 WV Cancer Burden Report, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in WV women. Each year in WV, approximately 1,470 women are diagnosed and 288 women die of breast cancer. Getting mammograms regularly can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. The screening guidelines for breast cancer vary from one national organization to another so women are encouraged to talk to their health care provider about what screening schedule is best for them.
Even knowing that screening is the best way to detect and treat cancer early many women in our state do not have access to services. In 1991 the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program (WVBCCSP) became one of the first four programs chosen to screen low-income uninsured and underinsured women as part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Since that time the program has:
- Enrolled over 147,803 women
- Provided more than 299,247 Pap tests,
- Provided 241,753 mammograms, and
- Provided 320,346 breast exams
To date WVBCCSP has detected:
- 1,363 cases of invasive breast cancer
- 160 cases of invasive cervical cancer
- 14,447 cases of abnormal cervical conditions (LSIL, HSIL, and CINs) that can lead to cervical cancer if not treated.
WVBCCSP, over the last four years, has partnered with 30 primary care clinics across the state to support the implementation of evidence-based interventions to increase breast and cervical cancer screening, while policy and environmental change efforts with WV worksites have benefitted over 58,000 employees and their dependents. These initiatives continue to provide services that save lives, but we need your help to let people know that they are available.
Attached you will find the BCAM information packet, breast cancer burden report, a copy of the Proclamation, and an electronic flyer for our online Breast Cancer Awareness Celebration. We invite you to share this information, join us for our live event via Zoom, or contact us for more information. Interview requests can be sent to this email or made by calling Shelly Dusic at 304-685-2858.
