Startling Statistics Encourage Women to Get Screened

Cancer Center offers free breast cancer screening during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

  October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is the perfect time to schedule an appointment for a breast cancer screening. The American Cancer Society (ACS) predicts that by the end of 2013, more than 3,600 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Louisiana. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales is offering a free breast cancer screening in October to help increase survival rates through early detection. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women, according to ACS, but with early detection that statistic has been steadily decreasing since 1989. Not only does early detection save lives, but it provides patients with a wider range of treatment options. Screenings are recommended for women 40 years and older and women with increased risks of breast cancer. Risk factors include: •  Being overweight or obese    •  Physical inactivity •  Alcohol consumption              •  Menopausal hormone therapy The following breast cancer screening is being offered in Ascension Parish in October: Saturday – Oct. 19 (Appointment Required) Geismar Community Center 12060 Hwy. 72 Geismar 9 – 11 a.m. & 12 – 2 p.m. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org or call (225) 215-1234 or toll free (888) 616-4687. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 40 years. With five centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma and Gonzales, its service area encompasses 18 parishes across southeast Louisiana.  For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.