As October arrives in southcentral Alaska, termination dust settles on the Chugach and pink starts showing up around town. Both are familiar signs of the season — and a reminder that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This month is about supporting people in treatment, sharing what we know about risk, and raising money for research. It is also a simple prompt: if you have not been screened in the past year, now is a good time to schedule a mammogram. Both the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend that women at average risk begin annual mammograms at age 40.
We all know early detection matters. With breast cancer, the difference it makes is hard to overstate. The American Cancer Society reports that when breast cancer is found early, the five-year relative survival rate is 98%. Once the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, that number falls to 30%.
Caught early, treatment is usually gentler as well. Many patients can have a smaller surgery — a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy — and may not need radiation or endocrine therapy. Found later, the same cancer more often means a full mastectomy, plus radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy: a longer road with more lasting side effects.
It is easy to assume you are not at risk if breast cancer does not run in your family, or if you feel too young. In reality, only 10–15% of patients have a family history, and about 5% are under 40. That is why self-exams still matter, even before regular screening begins.
The most personal thing we can do this month is straightforward. Remind the women in your life — family, friends, coworkers — to schedule their mammogram. Every appointment is a step toward finding cancer earlier, treating it more kindly, and giving someone a better chance.
–William Magnuson, AIOF Board Member, Radiation Oncologist
