Every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. In Illinois, that means 9,640 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in 2004, making breast cancer the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
Breast cancer occurrence has little to do with family history, race or ethnicity and increases in incidence after the age of 50. However, ninety-six percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer this year will be alive in five years, in-part, due to mammography, a low-dose x-ray used to detect breast cancer in all women. Mammography can detect breast cancer up to two years before it is large enough to be felt, a stage where treatment is more successful.
The CCDPH Breast and Cervical Cancer Program provides mammography screening, Pap smears and instruction in breast self-examination for financially eligible suburban Cook County women 40 years of age and older. For information on income guidelines and eligibility requirements, call (708) 450-5041.
For more information about breast and cervical cancer early detection,
treatment options, support programs and advocacy efforts:
