10-27-09

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed in American women. Early detection is the key to overcoming the disease.

Each year more than 190,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer.  Dr. Robert Mocharnuk (Mah’-chur-nuck), associate professor of hematology and oncology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, says self exams along with annual breast exams are critical for early detection of breast cancer.

SOUND BITE: “ . . . the earlier the breast cancer is detected, the better the outcome will be.  Annual breast exams are a part of the screening tools that we have for early detection.  There is something that we call the triple test. It’s essentially involving physician, patient and diagnostic imaging studies.  And so women need to have an annual breast exam after age 40 or ten years earlier than the youngest member of their family who developed breast cancer.”

Dr. Mocharnuk, who is also on the staff of the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU, recommends that women have an annual mammography screening after age 40.  He says screenings have helped improve survival rates in recent years.

SOUND BITE:  “The earlier the stage, the higher the survival rate.  There’s almost 100 percent survival rate at 10 years for women who are diagnosed with the earliest noninvasive types of breast cancer such as ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ.”

Insurance companies and Medicare are required to cover mammography screening for breast cancer.  Low income women without insurance may qualify for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer program.  For more information about the program, call 1-888-522-1282 or talk to your personal physician about breast cancer screening.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.