Just a few weeks ago on Sept. 18, women in Seattle and Bellevue walked with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to help end breast cancer. The Bellevue Reporter caught up with Elizabeth Thompson, national Komen president, and Cheryl Shaw, executive director and breast cancer survivor, to discuss strides in the search for a cure.
REPORTER: Tell me about the inspiration for Komen’s new “Less Talk. More Action” campaign which is helping employers ensure their female employees are able to set aside time to get screened.
ET: A recent study has found that less than half of women with Medicaid or with insurance are not being screened for breast cancer with annual mammograms.
Why does this happen even to women who have wonderful health insurance?
Women schedule their mammograms six months out. However, when a woman’s employer says they need X,Y and Z to be turned in on Friday or need her to meet with an important client, she always says, “Of course.” So then, the woman calls up her doctor and says she needs to reschedule. When the doctor’s office asks when to reschedule her appointment for, the woman says, “I have to call you back.”
Women have everyone else around them to think about – jobs, kids, families.
But we want to help make screening a priority, whether that means extending the lunch hour or making sure there’s always no meeting on a certain day of the week. Because if we have a healthy company, healthy employees, that makes for a healthy U.S.A.
REPORTER: All women need to start yearly annual mammograms at age 40. But what are some things women 39 and younger can do for breast health and cancer prevention?
ET: Right, because women under 40 do get breast cancer all the time. It’s all about knowing what’s right, normal and healthy for your body. I encourage women to go to our website ww5.komen.org and learn more about breast cancer signs and prevention.
Our helpful hints for women include:
1. Know your risk: Learn about your family health history and talk to your provider about your personal risk of breast cancer.
2. Get screened: Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at a higher risk and get a mammogram every year starting at age 40, and a clinical breast exam every three years starting at age 20.
3. Know what is normal for you: See your health care provider if you notice any of breast changes such as a mosquito bite that won’t go away or a hard knot inside the breast and
4. Make healthy lifestyle choices: diet, exercise, etc.
REPORTER: Who are some of the most vulnerable people at risk for breast cancer?
CS: The Latina community has a high rate of breast cancer mortality (An estimated 14,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in U.S. Hispanic women in 2009, with more than 2,200 deaths, making breast cancer the leading cause of cancer death among Latina women in the U.S. according to the http://ww5.komen.org/), so we are developing partnerships to target communities with large Latina populations. This high mortality rate is due to a variety of factors, language and cultural barriers, access to health care and information, etc. This happens in many underserved communities, including Latina and black communities, where parents are sometimes working one, two, three jobs.
REPORTER: Aside from language barriers and lack of access to health care and information, are there other factors preventing women from getting screened?
ET: Yes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)’s recent report was very confusing to women. While Komen has maintained that women need annual screenings beginning at age 40, the USPSTF said screenings may not be required every year, and that by the time women reach their early to mid 70s, they may not not screenings anymore altogether. Now, I know a lot of women who are 72,75 and these are amazing women. They’re going to live well into their 90s and they need to be covered with yearly screenings, too.
Another thing is, as I’ve mentioned, women don’t put themselves first. A woman who maybe has $120 extra to spend who could either get her kid the sports cleats or pay for a doctor’s appointment often chooses the cleats instead of for a life-saving service. We as women have to learn to put ourselves first sometimes.
REPORTER: Mammograms are notorious for being uncomfortable or unpleasant. What are some of your tips for making it a more enjoyable experience?
ET: I always go with one of my girlfriends and we go right before the lunch hour so we can be there for each other. Also, remember that the pain of a mammogram is nothing compared to the pain of chemotherapy or surgery. Go take care of yourself.
REPORTER: What are the resources for women with breast cancer?ET: The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has more than 120 affiliates across the country. We will help you with patient navigation, providing a translator if there are language barriers, help pay for services such as child care, provide transportation, get you connected with treatment centers and more.
REPORTER: What kind of hope is there for finding a cure?
ET: Today, we’ve really moved the ball from when we started 30 years ago. Then, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer caught early was 73 percent. Now, it’s 98 percent when detected early. People say that there is no cure for breast cancer, but that’s not exactly true. For example, with hormone positive types of cancers, when detected early, we now have the knowledge to be able to eradicate that cancer from the system in almost all instances. My hope is that everyone find something they can do, whether it means talking to your mom about getting screened, participating in one of the Komen walks or making a donation.
