October is recognized across the country as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as an opportunity to remind women to get yearly screenings for breast cancer.
Caitlin Nitz is a registered nurse, and is with North Dakota’s Women’s Way program. She says breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, and that every year more than 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. She also says 2,100 men are diagnosed with the disease. Nitz says it is recommended that everyone between the ages of 40-60 get yearly mammograms.
"That is that simple imaging that they take where they kind of push the breast into an x-ray style machine; and we recommend that yearly. Those who are 21-39, we recommend they go in and talk to their doctor if they have breast symptoms such as a lump or skin change, or are at high risk of breast cancer - which would be those who have a mom, sister, aunt, grandma who have been diagnosed with breast cancer."
Women’s Way is North Dakota’s breast and cervical cancer early detection program, and serves women in all 53 counties in the state. She says women may be eligible due to income based guidelines, and can determine if they qualify by visiting their website, at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/health/women/womens-way/eligible.