Registered Nurse Jeannie Keith October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a program that started 25 years ago to increase awareness regarding the number one cancer diagnosed in women, aside from skin cancer.

This year alone, more than 192,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. For women, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths after lung cancer. Since 1985, mammography rates have more than doubled for women 50 and older, and breast cancer deaths have declined.

However, women still need to be encouraged to obtain yearly mammograms and do monthly breast self exams. While the increase in mammograms is certainly exciting, there are still women who do not take advantage of screening mammograms. Their reasons for not receiving this screening are varied.

• Women age 65 and older are less likely to get mammograms than younger women, even though breast cancer risk increases with age. • Hispanic women have fewer mammograms than Caucasian women and African American women. • Women below poverty level are less likely than women at higher incomes to have had a mammogram within the past two years. • Mammography use has increased for all groups except American Indians

and Alaska Natives.

There are several things women can do to become informed about their risk for developing breast cancer. By increasing their awareness regarding breast cancer prevention and screening, women give themselves a healthy advantage for early detection. First, talk with your family to see if anyone in your family has ever been diagnosed with breast cancer and speak with your healthcare provider regarding your risk for developing breast cancer. Second, perform monthly breast self exams (BSE) to learn what feels normal to you. And finally, women over the age of 40 should receive a screening mammogram annually. One important thing to remember about mammography is that once is not enough. The key to successful mammography screening is to have yearly mammograms to check for any changes in the breasts that may indicate breast cancer.

During National Breast

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Cancer Awareness month, make your health a priority. Schedule your yearly mammogram. Remind friends and family of the importance of scheduling their annual mammograms. If financial concerns limit your ability to obtain your annual mammogram please contact the Christus Spohn Breast Care Program to determine eligibility for a free mammogram. FIRST FRIDAY, in conjunction with Christus Spohn, provides annual screening mammograms and qualifying is as simple as a telephone call to 361-985-5600 or 1-800-582-7327. Remember the key to mammography screening is that it needs to been done annually – once is not enough.

In addition to the resources at the Christus Spohn Cancer Center in Corpus Christi, Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg has a recent addition of a digital mammography unit and computer-aided detection software. This new technology, the only unit in the Christus Spohn Health System, allows physicians to read x-ray images of the breast in more detail than ever before.

This state of the art diagnostic health care tool takes less than half the time of traditional film exams and there’s less of a chance patients will be called back to retake images.

Studies show that digital mammography detected more cancers – up to 28 percent more- in certain groups of women than did traditional mammography. The digital mammography unit and computer-aided detection software were gifts from the Celebrity Quail Hunts through the Christus Spohn Health System Foundation.

Another new, and important, service offered at the Christus Spohn Cancer Center is the Breast Cancer Navigator Program. Because a cancer diagnosis brings many challenges, patients and their families may feel overwhelmed by choices and decisions and uncertain about the steps to take or where to receive assistance. The Navigator Program provides individually designed “care maps” for a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient and their family. The program’s goal is to guide the patient through the health care maze and help eliminate situations that may cause stress. The Navigator: • Connects patients with available community resources, services and support, • Guides patients and families through the complexities of the health care system, • Helps patients understand their treatment options, and • Assists in setting up appointments.

There are many other services the Navigator provides to our patients and their families. The Navigator Program is headed by a physician with a team of registered nurses, chaplains, counselors, social workers and nutritionists.

The Breast Cancer Navigator Program is offered at no charge to Christus cancer patients and their families. To get more information about the program, you can call 361.985.5600.