BEND, OR -- Women who believe they are at higher than average risk of breast cancer can get a free cancer screening at St. Charles Bend on Thursday.
Clinical Genetic Counselor Brigitte Cronier says most women can wait for their annual mammogram, "Around the age of 40, we start recommending yearly mammograms for all women, to try to detect breast cancer at its earliest stages, when it's ideally more treatable." She tells KBND News, "Most women's risk of getting breast cancer is usually around 11-12%, over the course of their life. And, depending on your personal history and also your family history, sometimes your lifetime risk of breast cancer is estimated to be quite a bit higher than that." Those high-risk women may need more testing, "Either more frequent breast cancer screening, beyond doing an annual mammogram," says Cronier, "And we may also start screening you earlier than age 40."
St. Charles officials say they know not all high-risk women are getting those earlier or more frequent screenings. Cronier says the goal of this first ever drop-in event is to remove all barriers, "I mean, it's free, it's right after work. Our hope is that these women, if they find out about it, they'll just come and it'll take five or 10 minutes. There's no physical exam involved, no breast exam. It's just going to be us asking you some questions, we'll do a risk assessment at that point, and then give you some information to make sure you can get the appropriate follow up." Patients need to bring minimal information, "Some personal history, which you probably know off the top of your head, and some family history, which you may not know off the top of your head. So, if you need to call Aunt Susan or Uncle Bob, you can do that and bring that information in with you when you come."
In addition to the breast cancer screening, patients will also be assessed to determine if they qualify for hereditary cancer risk testing. The drop-in free screening event is at the St Charles Cancer Center in Bend, Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. More information is available by calling 541-706-6729 or visiting the event webpage.
