SAN ANGELO, Texas — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, intended to increase global awareness on breast cancer. The annual campaign educates women about methods of prevention and early detection.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation says breast cancer occurs when the process of cell growth goes wrong and new cells form when the body doesn't need them. Sometimes damaged cells do not die as they should and a build-up of cells often form a mass tissue called a lump, growth or tumor.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. According to the CDC, in 2018 there were approximately 42,265 deaths caused by breast cancer.
The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health has a mammogram program intended to help income-eligible women with early detection of breast cancer. The institute opened in 2012, and has helped diagnose more than 90 women with breast cancer. The institute works with local clinics to provide care for women getting treatment for breast cancer at no cost.
“Everyone is absolutely exposed to breast cancer, it doesn't matter whether or not breast cancer runs in your family. It’s important for women to get a mammogram on a yearly basis and equally important for women to do their self breast exams at home,” Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health Mammogram Program Administrator, Rosa Monsivais, said.
Early detection is important to receive the treatment required to treat the cancer. For more information, visit laurabushinstitute.org or call (325)942-2531.
