- Lucia Zegarra
CHEER Partners with Susan G. Komen Foundation
Did you know that for 2017, it is estimated that among U.S. women there will be 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,450 breast cancer deaths. Every day, cells in your body divide, grow and die in an orderly manner. Breast cancer is a family of diseases where cells in the breast tissue grow and divide without normal control. This growth of cells forms a mass or lump called a tumor. Tumors are either benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
We all have genes that control the way our cells divide and grow. When a change (called a mutation) occurs, the genes do not work like they should. Mutations may be spontaneous (occur on their own) or inherited (passed on from your mother or father). Spontaneous mutations account for 90 to 95 percent of breast cancer cases in the U.S. Inherited mutations account for only about 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancer cases in women and about 5 to 20 percent of cases in men in the U.S. BRCA1 and BRCA2 (Breast Cancer genes 1 and 2) are the best-known genes linked to breast cancer risk. Cells can grow out of control before any symptoms of breast cancer appear. That is why breast cancer screening is important. Screening tests are used to find breast cancer before it causes signs or symptoms. Screening tests can find breast cancer early, when the chances of survival are highest.
CHEER in partnership with The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure and Mobile Med help women in our community to get free breast health screening and mammograms. Together we’ve already helped more than 3,000 members of our community to get the information they need in order to prevent and/or early detect breast cancer.
If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, talk with a doctor about your risk,when to start getting mammograms (or other tests) and how often to have them. Know what is normal for you. The signs of breast cancer are not the same for all women. It is important to know how your breasts normally look and feel. If you notice any change, see a doctor or call us to access to our women health program.
