RHC-P brings awareness to breast cancer In October

By Emily YehOctober 17, 2018

RHC-P Brings Awareness to Breast Cancer In October
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Regional Health Command-Pacific and its providers at its military treatment facilities are part of the health care professionals who provide support in the form of screening, prevention awareness, treatment, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and each year health professionals in the United States rally to bring awareness to an international health issue that affects both women and men. Regional Health Command-Pacific and its providers at its military treatment facilities are part of the health care professionals who provide support in the form of screening, prevention awareness, treatment, and after-care to those who are affected by the disease.

At RHC-P's medical centers, Saturday breast cancer screening events will be held to increase access to care opportunities for beneficiaries. Tripler Army Medical Center's Family Medicine Clinic providers have partnered with Tripler's Radiology Department to conduct a Women's Wellness Clinic that will offer both pap smears and mammogram screenings to eligible beneficiaries in Hawaii. While RHC-P's Madigan Army Medical Center will host its third annual breast cancer screening event for their eligible beneficiaries in the Pacific Northwest.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in women. Lung cancer is the number one cancer that kills women each year. In 2018, there will be approximately 40,920 breast cancer deaths, and over 330,000 new cases of breast cancer among women in the United States. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.

A World Health Organization study found that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally, and affects countries at all levels of modernization. But breast cancer does not only affect women. While statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation indicate that breast cancer in men is rare, approximately 2,470 men are diagnosed with breast cancer, leading to 460 deaths, annually.

Early detection saves lives, contact your provider to ensure you are properly screened. Talk to your provider if you are unsure if you are at risk for breast cancer. To learn more about breast cancer go to nationalbreastcancer.org