WASHINGTON STATE.-October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and health professionals are highlighting the importance of early screenings, as younger women continue to be diagnosed with the disease.
Many women begin routine breast cancer screenings around age 50, however, Dr. Monika Wells, an Internal Medicine Specialist with Kaiser Permanente says women may want to consider screenings starting around age 40.
“If we can identify who we can screen earlier and find those early cases,” said Wells, “we sort of have a potentially ten-year head start on treating cancer.”
Earlier screenings can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer and can increase the survival rate for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“When we find those cancers that are in their earlier stages, it opens up a whole spectrum of treatment options that might not be as readily available or may be more complicated if it’s a more advanced cancer.”
