It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Have You Had a Mammogram Lately?

I cannot believe they haven't yet come up with a better screening process than the mammogram. If a man had to put his special parts inside a clamp to test him for anything, I think they would come up with a new plan before the doctor finished saying, "Put that thing there so I can crush it”.

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen’s joke is funny (and true) but breast cancer is no laughing matter. According to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, in 2015:

• An estimated 25,000 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,000 will die from it
• Approximately 68 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every day
• Approximately 14 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every day
• 1 in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime (age 90) and 1 in 29 will die from it
• It is expected that 220 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 60 will die from it

Some of you may be avoiding scheduling your mammogram because it's not particularly pleasant or because of the controversy lately about how effective mammograms really are. The reality is that they’re not perfect, but mammograms are still the best screening method we have. According to the Susan G. Komen Organization:

Mammography is good at finding breast cancer, especially in women ages 50 and older. Overall, the sensitivity of mammography is about 84%. This means mammography correctly identifies about 84% of women who truly have breast cancer. Sensitivity is higher in women over 50 than in younger women. 

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I had my mammogram last week. Have you booked yours yet?

Who ever thought of the word mammogram? Every time I hear it I think I’m supposed to put my breast in an envelope and send it to someone.

Jan King

Make someone smile today.

Geri