Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Iowa women, but when it’s caught early, the odds for surviving it are exceptional.
Jackie Dau, the lead mammography technician at Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars, says for most women, the annual screenings should start around age 40.
“One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, so every 14 seconds someone is told you have breast cancer,” Dau says. “When diagnosed in an early localized stage, there’s a 99% survival rate. Finding that breast cancer early is of utmost importance. With that being said, it’s very important to do your self-exams every month.”
Learning about what’s normal, she says, makes it easier to spot a change.
More than 3,000 Iowans are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, while about 380 die from it. There are some 38,000 breast cancer survivors in Iowa, representing about 20-percent of all cancer survivors in the state.
Breast cancer isn’t just found in women, Dau says, as thousands of men are also diagnosed each year nationwide.
“Men get breast cancer, too. If you’re a guy out there and you feel like maybe something’s not right, don’t hesitate to say something to your doctor,” she says. “It’s not embarrassing. We’d like to get rid of that stigma. Go get it checked out.”
There are common warning signs of breast cancer, including: a hard lump in the breast, swelling or thickening in part of the breast, pitting or thickening of the skin that resembles an orange peel, and unexplained warmth, redness, or inflammation on the breast skin. Learn about more symptoms HERE.
