Let your clients know the facts about breast cancer.

The CDC reports that breast cancer is:

• The most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women.
• The second most common cause of death from cancer among white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

In 2004, 186,772 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,954 women died from the disease.

Men can also get breast cancer. In 2004, 1,815 men were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 362 men died from the disease.

Mammograms are key to early detection.

Make sure that your clients get screening mammograms when needed. Mammograms are the best method to detect breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms.

Your clients need to know that having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. Let them know that they should report any unusual changes in their breasts, or if breast cancer runs in their family.  You may recommend that some of your clients have mammograms before age 40 depending on their family history and risk factors associated with breast cancer.

The US Preventive Task Force recently recommended that most women can  begin mammogram screening at age 50.

Improve your clients’ access to mammograms.

Most private health insurance companies, HMOs, Medicaid, and Medicare pay for part or all of the cost of mammograms.

If you work in a public health setting, find out what resources are available in your community for your clients. In most locations, there are programs which are part of CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). These programs offer free or low-cost mammograms. To find out if your clients might qualify, call your local program.

Educate and encourage your clients.

Health care providers can make a difference in motivating their clients to take good care of their breast health. Make sure that every woman you serve from age 18 to 80 understands what she can do to keep healthy. Help her remember the basics:

• Ask about your client’s family history. Share how her family history may influence her health.
• Make sure your client knows what screening tests she needs and how often she should come in for them.
• Teach your client to get to know the normal look and feel of her breasts. Encourage her to pay attention to any changes she notices and to report them to you.
• Encourage your client to make healthy choices. Advise her to eat healthy foods and stay active. Explain that it is important to limit her alcohol intake.

Plan for Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

January is the perfect month to highlight issues related to cervical cancer, HPV disease and the importance of early detection.  You may want to address recent advances and research in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cervical cancer and HPV. You might particularly want to highlight the availability of the HPV vaccine for both girls and boys.

Cervical cancer has long been the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. However, in the past 40 years the number of deaths from cervical cancer have decreased significantly. This decline largely is the result of women getting regular Pap tests, which can detect cervical pre-cancer before it becomes cancer.

It’s important that your clients know that all women are at risk for cervical cancer and it occurs most often in women aged 30 years and older. In 2005, 11,999 women in the United States were told they had cervical cancer, and 3,924 died from the disease.

Many clients may not know that the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV also causes many vaginal and vulvar cancers as well as cancers in men.The HPV vaccine should dramatically decrease the spread of the human papillomavirus while helping to prevent cancers in men and women.  Encourage parents and young men and women to consider getting the HPV vaccine.

Make sure your clients know how important it is to get tested for cervical cancer. Six out of 10 cervical cancers occur in women who have never received a Pap test or have not been tested in the past five years. Remind your clients that getting tested is essential whether or not they have been vaccinated for HPV.

Resources and Websites on Cancer Awareness

California Family Health Council has developed a new series of Cancer Prevention materials on a variety of topics, including:

• Breast Self Exam
• Mammogram
• Pelvic Exam
• Abnormal Pap
• Colposcopy
• Biopsy
• Cryosurgery
• LEEP
• Laser Treatment
• Cone Biopsy

Easy-to-read, and culturally appropriate, these downloadable information sheets are available through the affordable subscription service, HealthEdworks.org. In addition, CFHC’s online store has a number of printed brochures on these topics currently available.

The CDC has a variety of informational web pages on many reproductive health topics:

• Breast Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Uterine Cancer

[ Return to Fall 2009 ]