With breast cancer the second-leading cause of cancer death among women, the Wyoming Department of Health encourages state residents to take time to learn about breast cancer and important, recommended screenings.
October has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many events and public service campaigns locally have been planned to remind women of the importance of getting their annual screenings to increase their chances of survival, should they be diagnosed.
It is estimated that more than 265,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year. In 2016, 411 Wyoming women were diagnosed with the disease. Val Walsh Haines, program manager for Wyoming Cancer Resource Services in Cody, says that Wyoming ranks as one of the poorest states in the nation when it comes to the number of women who get cancer screenings.
Haines points out that there is funding available for people who don’t feel they can afford to get preventative screenings, and that they can contact her office at Cody Regional Health to start that process.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women between the ages of 40 and 49 with an increased risk for breast cancer due to family history, genetic disorder or other factors should speak with their doctor about screenings, and that women ages 50 to 74 should get a mammogram every two years.
