Health Department Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Central Michigan District Health Department in Mt Pleasant encourages residents to get regular screenings.

Early detection of cancer gives patients a better chance for treatment success, according to Connie Lance, manager of health promotion at CMDHD.

Breast cancer can affect anyone, regardless of gender, race or identity, Lance said.

"This awareness month reminds us of the importance of regular breast cancer screening," she said. and adds that the health department serving Isabella, Clare, Arenac, Roscommon Osceola and Gladwin counties participates in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Navigation Program (BC3NP). .

"Early detection and treatment can make all the difference for someone with cancer," he said. "Routine screening is the best way to detect cancer early, and CMDHD has programs, like BC3NP, that can help defray the costs of screening."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States.

In the United States, about one in 100 diagnosed breast cancers affects men, but the statistics are limited because they don't take into account transgender or non-binary cancers, she said.

In the United States, 0.6% of adults, or 1.4 million people, identify as transgender, and there is insufficient evidence to estimate the incidence of breast cancer in the transgender population. Transgender people are at increased risk of breast cancer, Lance said.

Lance said the CDC recommends that people ages 50 to 74 get screened for breast cancer annually and that people with risk factors talk to their health care provider about starting screening before age 50.

A common technique for diagnosing breast cancer is mammography, which is a low-dose x-ray of the breast.

BC3NP is a federal program funded by the CDC and administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Those eligible for BC3NP include cisgender women, transgender women and men, and nonbinary people who are uninsured or uninsured, at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, ages 40 to 64 for breast cancer, and 21 to at 64 years old. . for services to cervical cancer.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month | Pure science