OCTOBER MARKS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
PRESS CONTACT
SHELLEY LOTENBERG
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2009
OCTOBER MARKS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System Urges Women to Get Screened for Breast Cancer: Early Detection Key to Effective Treatment
EAST MEADOW, NY…October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System today urged all women to learn about their risk and talk to their health care provider about getting screened for breast cancer.
“All women aged 40 and older should get a mammogram every one to two years, with or without clinical breast exams to protect their health,” Gianelli said. “Today, thanks to early detection and treatment advances, women are surviving breast cancer and living longer, healthier lives. When breast cancer is found early, 97 percent of the cases can be effectively treated.”
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women
in New York State, after lung cancer. Last year, about 14,000 women in New York State were newly diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 2,900 women died from the disease.
Although the causes of breast cancer are still unknown, the following factors may increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer:
Advancing age
Being younger when you had your first menstrual period
Starting menopause at an older age
Never giving birth or delayed giving birth to first child until age 30 or older
Not breastfeeding
Having a personal or family history (on the mother’s or father’s side of the family) of breast cancer, or carrying certain gene mutations such as BRCA 1 or BRCA 2
Being overweight or obese
Being sedentary
Having a history of radiation exposure to the chest
Taking hormone replacement therapy for an extended period of time.
“Having one of these risk factors does not mean that you will be diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Gianelli. “Many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have any risk factors or unusual symptoms. Women who are concerned about their risk of breast cancer should talk to their health care provider. Women with a personal or family history of breast cancer might also consider genetic counseling.”
Although there is still much to be learned about the causes of breast cancer, there are many ways men and women can live a healthy lifestyle and help improve outcomes related to cancer. These include not smoking and avoiding second-hand smoke, making healthy food choices, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting recommended cancer screenings.
There is a program in this county that provides access to cancer screenings to uninsured women, aged 40 and older. There are also programs that offer support or legal services to women with breast cancer and their families. Please contact the Cancer Services Program of Nassau University Medical Center at 516-572-3300 for more information or to schedule an appointment. You can also visit or call 1-866-442-CANCER (2262) to locate a genetic counselor, legal services and breast cancer support programs in your community.
ABOUT NUHEALTH:
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Formerly known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.