Breast cancer. Those two words terrify most women. And rightly so. This year, a breast cancer will be newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from breast cancer every 12 minutes. In Iowa, breast cancer accounts for more than 30 percent of all cancers in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death for women.

But early detection and improved treatment are working.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer mortality rates declined significantly from 1990 to 1997, with the largest decreases in younger women--both white and black. These decreases are probably the result of both earlier detection and improved treatment. Five-year survival after treatment for early-stage breast cancer is more than 90 percent.

The best defense is an early defense. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. This makes monthly breast self-exams especially important. More than 80 percent of breast lumps are proven to be benign, but any breast lump must be evaluated by a physician.

Because regular breast self examinations are so important, Well&Good will send you an e-mail reminding you to do a breast self-exam. Send your e-mail address to wellandgood@uiowa.edu and we'll electronically send you a reminder through January 2002.

Self-exams should accompany regular mammograms. Mammograms can reveal breast cancer at its earliest stage, up to two years before it can be felt. Regular screening mammography should begin by between the ages of 35 and 40 and continue annually after age 40.

Regular breast examinations by your health care provider are a required complement to breast self-exams and mammography. For more information about breast cancer, contact the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Information Service at 800-237-1225.

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