National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Statement

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a time to remember lost loved ones and to recommit ourselves to educating women about early detection, supporting research that can save lives, and improving access to breast cancer treatment in rural America.

Every year, more then 900 Missouri women lose their lives to breast cancer. Yet more women survive their battle with breast cancer today than in previous years. Since National Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985, mammogram rates have more than doubled for women age 50 and older and breast cancer deaths have declined progressively. The steady decline in deaths resulting from breast cancer is attributed to an increase in women who receive mammograms and powerful new drugs that treat the cancer.

Over the years, I have remained committed to funding cancer research. I supported funding for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, a breast cancer research network, earlier this year. It has served as a vital component to research that led to the development of innovative, life-saving drugs. Research funding to this program and to the National Institutes of Health is a promising vehicle for forging new scientific breakthroughs in the nation's fight against breast cancer.

As member of the Rural Health Care Coalition, I am also committed to advancing access to breast cancer treatment and physicians in rural America. I have supported measures that encourage physicians to practice in rural Missouri so that women with breast cancer receive the same access to health care as our neighbors in cities.

While I promise to do my part in Congress, I urge all women and their families to get the facts about mammograms and protect themselves against breast cancer. It is treatable when it is detected early and the key to early detection is routine mammogram screenings.

Although every woman is at risk of developing breast cancer, there are factors that have been shown to increase the risk, including age. Approximately 80 percent of all breast cancer occurs in women 50 years of age and older. Other factors that contribute to developing breast cancer include a personal history of breast cancer, a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, obesity, and alcohol consumption, among others.

Starting at the age of 40, women should get a mammogram every one to two years. To find a mammogram facility near you, please consult Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services website at: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/BreastCervCancer/index.html or call them at (573) 522-2845. If you cannot afford a mammogram, you may qualify for the Show Me Healthy Women program, which offers free breast cancer screenings to thousands of Missouri women.

As we observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month we mourn the mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends who have lost their lives, and we also celebrate the lives that have been saved by the vigorous efforts of those who came before them. This month we recommit ourselves to saving women's lives by encouraging mammogram screenings, dedicating funds to research, and improving access to treatment. Together we can overcome this devastating disease.

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