It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. An estimated 1 in 8 females will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Screening is key to catching breast cancer when it is most treatable.
The UC Davis Health Department of Radiology and UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center are once again teaming up to provide free mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women in the community. An additional screening day has been added to the schedule this year.
The free mammograms will be offered on Oct. 18, 19, 25 and 26. The screenings — by appointment only — will take place from 7:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the UC Davis Health Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center, 4860 Y St., Sacramento.
"Mammograms can show a breast lump before it can be felt and can also show precancerous cells or other conditions," said UC Davis Health Department of Radiology Chief Elizabeth Morris. "Women should get regular screening mammograms to detect breast cancer annually starting at age 40. Women younger than 40 who have risk factors for breast cancer should ask their doctor if they should have a mammogram and how often."
Who is eligible for the free screening?
The mammograms are for females aged 40 to 74 who have not had a mammogram in the past year and are not experiencing symptoms. Women with symptoms such as a lump, pain, swelling or discharge need a more advanced diagnostic mammogram.
"In Sacramento County, only 68% of eligible individuals are up to date on their breast cancer screening," said Marissa Bashore, health education supervisor for UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach and Engagement. "Regular screening mammography can help find breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be successful. We urge all females over the age of 40 to get annual mammograms."
