Exams Are Key for Breast Cancer Prevention

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This story is part of a Patch series looking at the issues breast cancer prevention and treatment and women's health.

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Do it in the shower. Do it while getting ready for bed. Just do it once a month.
Get familiar with your breasts. Look for lumps, changes in size, shape or feel, and to see if there is any fluid.

All women should know their breasts and surrounding areas so they can be aware of changes, the American Cancer Society recommends.

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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the idea is to educate women and men and to raise money for the cure. Sometimes women are afraid to go see their doctors, but this is the time to do it. Grab a friend and make appointments.

In Maryland, experts predict 4,850 new cases of breast cancer to be diagnosed this year.

On Oct. 20 at 10:45 a.m. in Odenton, officials from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Program will make a presentation on cancer prevention at the

Some sports teams at Arundel High are expected to wear pink shirts and jerseys during select games in October to raise awareness for breast cancer research.

Safeway, which has a store in at the Village at Waugh Chapel in Gambrills, will donate $5 toward breast cancer research if customers buy $30 worth of select products. Customers can also choose to contribute $1 toward research at the checkout stand.

Women in between 40 and 64 in Anne Arundel County could be eligible for free breast cancer screening exams through the county Department of Health. Coupons are set aside for those with low incomes or if breast screening exams are not covered by your insurance. For more information, call 410-222-6180.

“I encourage all of you to become an expert about the way your breasts look and feel so you can detect any subtle changes. After all, it’s our body, and we are the ones who have to live with whatever goes wrong with it,” said Jennie Yoon Buchanan, Medical Director of Women’s Imaging Services at Florida Hospitals.

It’s even more important that women in their 20s see a doctor for a Clinical Breast Exam every three years – and once a year after turning 40. Most doctors recommend annual mammograms for women 40 and older. Higher risk men and women should see their doctors more often.

“Many breast cancers will be found in women who never felt a lump, because on average, mammography will detect about 80 to 90 percent of the breast cancers in women without symptoms,” said Kristina Thomson, executive vice president, interim, for the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey.

“In New York City, more than 5,100 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year,” she said.

The American Cancer Society works closely with health departments and health care systems to provide free mammograms. Call 1-800-227-2345 for more information.

Developments in the medical field include diagnostic innovations, such as those found at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The hospital is working on more early-detection procedures that are less invasive.

“Improvements in detection, as well as insights into surgical treatment options and their outcomes, have increasingly led to longer, improved lives for women with breast cancer,” said Dr. Andrew Seidman, who practices in New York and is part of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.