Cancer statistics prove importance of early detection

Bonner General Hospital has now begun offering digital mammography services. Since I first wrote about the upcoming launch of this service two weeks ago, our diagnostic imaging department has received countless phone calls and inquiries. It is so gratifying to see this sort of response, as it helps to confirm that we’re meeting an important healthcare need of the women in our community.

Here are a few interesting statistics about breast cancer, which highlight why it’s so important to have routine annual screening mammograms to ensure early detection of this disease:

n Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.

n The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.

n An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. during 2008.

n An estimated 1,990 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in the U.S. during 2008.

n In the U.S., a woman has a 1 in 8 (12 percent) risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.

n The five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98 percent (compared to 74 percent in 1982).

n A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. Approximately 95 percent of all breast cancers occur in women 40 years of age and older.

n Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.

n In the United States today, there are nearly 2.5 million breast cancer survivors - the largest group of cancer survivors in the country.

As always, be sure to consult your physician with any questions you may have about your personal risk factors.

If you would like more information about Bonner General Hospital’s digital mammography services or need to schedule an appointment, please contact the diagnostic imaging department at 208.265.1142.

Lynda Metz is the director of community development at Bonner General Hospital. The statistics in this article were provided courtesy of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.