Local medical professionals are kicking off October, being breast cancer awareness month, by getting together and talking about the best ways to detect and treat the disease.
The Breast Cancer Awareness Coalition held their second annual symposium. According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, there will be over 255,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed this year, and 40,000 of those cases will end in death. So, the coalition wants the public to know the importance of diagnosing the disease early. That means doing monthly self breast exams and getting mammograms.
"I just want them to know the importance of having a mammogram every year starting at the age of 40 and never skipping. Because if we are able to detect the breast cancer when it’s very small, it’s much more treatable and the prognosis is much greater," said Dr. Darlene Weyer.
Weyer says technology, like 3D mammograms can help with early detection, because doctors can look at multiple images instead of two, and detect cancer a millimeter in size.
