One of the keys to this story is Marits found the cancer early before it had invaded neighboring lymph nodes. Women today can help themselves to find cancers early by getting annual mammograms after age 40, or earlier if they have risk factors. According to Kathy Schilling, MD, medical director breast imaging and intervention at Boca Raton Community Center for Breast Care, Boca Raton, modern-day diagnostic equipment and more advanced treatments make the prognoses for many women with breast cancer promising. Experts say that these advancements have contributed to Florida s decreasing breast cancer morality rate. In the last seven years, death from breast cancer has decreased by 17 percent, says Mary Munroe, regional cancer control director of the South Florida regional office of the American Cancer Society.
Early detection is key.
Pretty typically our guidelines recommend that women starting at the age of 40 not only have an annual exam by their physician but also have a mammogram, says Ellen Oppenheimer, area executive director for Dade and Monroe counties, American Cancer Society. We know that if we can get women to get in and have their mammogram and it s diagnosed early there s a 96 percent cure rate. It s women who postpone having a mammogram for whatever reason that the disease has progressed and it s more difficult. Unfortunately, with as much attention as breast cancer prevention gets in the media, only 40 to 50 percent of women who are of the age range to have mammography are getting it done, Schilling said. I think it s important that it starts at age 40 and goes on annually at that time.