New cancer screening offered to women

Cherokee County Health Department has been awarded a grant to offer Breast and Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS) to the uninsured low income women in Cherokee and surrounding counties.

The program provides clinical breast examinations, Pap test, education and other diagnostic services at low cost to eligible women. Eligible women, age 50 and above and any woman with an abnormal clinical breast exam, will be referred for a mammogram at no additional cost. Eligible women who have a positive finding may also be eligible for cancer treatment through the Medicaid Treatment Act program.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed among women in Texas. Cervical cancer ranks seventh in the leading cancers diagnosed among Texas women. Surviving breast or cervical cancer depends on how early the cancer is detected. The best way to detect breast or cervical cancer in its early stages is through regular screenings.

Most doctors feel that early detection test for breast cancer saves many thousands of lives each year. Many more lives could be saved if even more women and their health care providers took advantage of these tests.

Following the American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer improves the chances that breast cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated successfully.

Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a periodic (regular) health exam provided by a health professional. It is preferable to have these exams every three years. After the age of 40, women should have a breast exam by a health professional every year. Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year and should continue as long as they are in good health.

Approximately 3,670 women will die from cervical cancer in the United States during 2007. Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women.

For more information and an appointment, call the Cherokee County Health Department at (903) 683-4688. Eligibility screens can be done over the phone.