OCTOBER 2014
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October
is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast cancer is the No.1 type of cancer
diagnosed in Alaska women.[1] This makes a newly formed Breast Cancer
Coalition critical to promoting the health of women through an effort to
increase the breast cancer screening rate.
Starting this January, a group of partners began
meeting to increase outreach for and access to breast cancer screenings
statewide. The Breast Cancer Coalition includes the following partners: South
Central Foundation, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, American Cancer
Society, Mountain Pacific Quality Improvement, YWCA, Primary Care Association,
Providence Imaging Center, Alaska Regional Hospital Cancer Center, State of
Alaska Breast and Cervical Health Program, Alaska Comprehensive Cancer Program,
Fairbanks Breast Cancer Detection Center, Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center
and others.
Breast cancer is
the most commonly occurring cancer in the nation for women and the second
leading cause of cancer death for women after lung cancer. About 1 in 8 women
in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during her lifetime.[2]
Breast cancer
typically produces no symptoms when the tumor is small and most treatable. For
most women, predicting breast cancer risk on the basis of possible risk factors
can be unreliable. Fully 70% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer had no
known risk before the time of diagnosis. The best prevention is being
physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and
seeing your health care provider annually to discuss which screening is best
for you. Screening guidelines include having a
mammogram starting at age 50.[3]
Alaska
ranks 35th in the nation for breast cancer screening. The percentage
of Alaska women ages 50 to74 who have had a mammogram within the past two years
dropped statewide during the past decade, from 86% in 2000 to 74% in 2012.[4]
The Alaska Aces Hockey team has hosted “Paint
the Rink Pink” since 2007 to raise awareness of breast cancer. This effort has
raised $400,000 to date for Breast Cancer Focus Alaska and the American Cancer Society.
The funds support transportation and housing needs of cancer patients in Alaska. Each year, testimonials and educational displays
surround the pink ice. This year, Cancer Awareness Nights with the Anchorage
Aces are October 7 and 8.
Citations
-
Alaska Cancer Registry, 1996-2011.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000 – 2012.
-
American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2013-2014.
Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc. 2013.
-
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for breast cancer: U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. Ann Intern Med 2009;
151:716-726.
- Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data.
Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000 – 2012.
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