HOPE for Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention
- HOPE Family Health
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Relations Specialist
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” - Benjamin Franklin.
HOPE Family Health agrees with Benjamin Franklin: prevention plays a huge role in your health journey! As part of HOPE’s observance of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month we want to share important information about breast cancer, preventive steps you can take, and ways HOPE can help.
HOPE and Tennessee Breast & Cervical Screening Program
HOPE offers screening mammography services at its HOPE Westmoreland location and accepts most commercial insurances as well as Medicare and TennCare. HOPE is also a participating provider in the Tennessee Breast & Cervical Screening Program (TBCSP). The TBCSP serves eligible women from vulnerable populations – those uninsured or underinsured and with income at or below 250 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines. You do not have to be an established HOPE patient or see a HOPE provider to schedule a mammogram at HOPE; outside orders are welcome!
Did you know…? The raw facts.
About one in eight women, or 12 percent, of women in the U.S. will develop invasive
breast cancer during their lifetime.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S., accounting for nearly one in every four cancer diagnoses.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women, after lung cancer.
However, for non-Hispanic Black women and Hispanic women, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death.
Breast cancer risk increases with age.
Having a first degree relative (mother, sister or daughter) with breast cancer can double a woman’s risk. However, all women are at risk; nearly 15 percent of women with breast cancer do not have a family history.
At age 20 women should begin having clinical breast exams at least every three years, increasing to every one to two years after age 40. Routine screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and expects to live at least another 10 years.
While breast cancer in men is rare, it does happen. About one in every 726 men in the U.S. will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. In 2025, an estimated 2,800 men will receive a breast cancer diagnosis.
Is Prevention Possible?
We can’t control our family history or the aging process, but you can take steps to reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Some of these steps benefit your overall health: maintain a healthy weight, stay physically active, and if you drink alcohol, use moderation.
If you are a new mother, breastfeeding can help protect you against breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
About five to ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary. If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, consult your doctor about how to learn if you have inherited changes in your breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) genes, and possible ways to lower your risk.
Early Detection Saves Lives
Early detection simply means finding breast cancer before it has spread and is easier to treat. The survival rate for breast cancer caught while still localized is 99 percent at five years after the initial diagnosis. And thanks in part to increased awareness, 66 percent of breast cancer cases are caught early. Since 1989 breast cancer deaths have declined 44 percent due to improved detection and treatment. Today over 4 million breast cancer survivors live in the U.S.
Come to HOPE
HOPE Family Health offers screening mammography by an experienced team of radiology technicians. Call 615-644-2000 and make an appointment for your mammogram today!
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