Saving Your Life Starts Now

Mammograms can’t prevent breast cancer, but they can do the next best thing: detect the cancer early when more treatment options are available, before it spreads to other parts of the body.

The best part? When breast cancer is found while it’s still contained to the breast, the survival rate is 99%.

You read that right. 99% according to the American Cancer Society. Once the cancer spreads throughout the body, the five-year survival rate drops to 25%. Getting regular mammograms is the single most important thing a woman can do to reduce her chances of dying from breast cancer.

At Owensboro Health, we’re passionate about making sure women get the mammograms they need. We care about you as members of our community, as wives, and especially as mothers, because we want you to be there as your kids grow up.

Our doctors recommend a yearly mammogram for women starting at age 40. Here are a few reasons why we think that’s important.

Mammograms Catch Cancer Before You Can

Breast cancer rates have been declining for the last 25 years, in large part because of early detection with mammograms. You can and should do breast self-exams, but you may not feel any changes in your breasts until the cancer has grown enough to produce a lump. By that time, it could have already spread and may be harder to treat.

The mammogram will produce an x-ray image that a radiologist will examine for any signs of breast cancer. If they see anything abnormal, you may need a biopsy or further testing. If cancer is confirmed, you can promptly begin treatment — the earlier, the better.

Mammograms Can Save Your Life — And Your Breasts

One of the reasons breast cancer can be traumatic is the possibility of a mastectomy, or surgical removal of your breasts. When the cancer is detected early, though, a lumpectomy may be possible to remove only the cancerous tumor while preserving the breast around it.

Your Risk Increases As You Age

While the risk of developing breast cancer is higher if you have a family history of the disease, you’re not free and clear if you have no family history. The biggest risk factors are being a woman and your advancing age — that’s why it’s so important to get a mammogram every year after you turn 40. It’s not a one-time test because your risk increases every year.

You can’t control your age, but you can control other risk factors for breast cancer. That risk increases if you’re overweight or obese and if you’re not physically active. It also goes up the more you drink. To reduce your risk, lose weight, get active, drink less alcohol and get a mammogram!

It’s Free for Eligible Patients

If you’re worried about the cost of a mammogram, help is available. The Mammograms for Life program through Owensboro Health Foundation provides free mammograms for women who qualify and need help paying for the screening.

We want to keep you healthy and we want to make you proud, so Owensboro Health is doing everything we can to make mammograms accessible to you.

To schedule your mammogram, call 1-844-506-2666 or 1-844-50-MAMMO or visit OwensboroHealth.org/Mammogram. Don’t wait — fighting breast cancer begins before diagnosis. Schedule your mammogram today!