CONGRESSMAN RUBÉN HINOJOSA'S STATEMENT ON BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa is asking everyone to get involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October by asking your loved ones to talk with their health care providers about appropriate breast cancer screenings, such as regular mammograms. 

Both men and women can develop breast cancer, though male breast cancer is rare. In women, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death and the odds that a woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime are one in eight.

“Breast cancer is a terrible disease which has taken and has affected so many precious lives," said U.S. Rep. Hinojosa. "Cancer has caused so much grief to the loved ones of its victims. We must continue to do all that we can to find a cure and we must also remember to encourage our loved ones to get those check-ups. Remember early detection is key to survival."

The good news is that the overall five-year survival rate from breast cancer is nearly 90 percent. If the cancer is caught while it is still located only in the breast, the survival rate increases to nearly 99 percent. 

A regular mammogram, or x-ray of the breast, is one of the most effective ways to detect breast cancer early.

To learn more about breast cancer, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/

“I urge everyone to get your check-ups and pass the word along this month and every month to the women you know,” said U.S. Rep. Hinojosa. “We want all of our loved ones to be with us for a very long time.”

For our Military women, the Department of Veterans Affairs leads the Nation in breast cancer screening rates and has outperformed non-VA health care systems in breast cancer screenings for more than 15 years, with 87 percent of eligible women receiving mammograms in the VA health care system in fiscal year 2010.

Since 2000, the number of female Veterans using VA health care has more than doubled, from nearly 160,000 to more than 337,000 in fiscal year 2011.  As the number of women Veterans increases rapidly, VA not only focuses on improving access to breast screenings and coordination of care, but also trains providers in the latest breast exam techniques. 

VA provides mammograms for all Veterans, with 45 facilities providing services on-site utilizing digital mammography. Some facilities offer mammograms to walk-in patients and same-day ultrasounds.VA also offers mobile mammography in some areas of the country. This mammogram technology-on-wheels allows women Veterans in rural areas to get screening mammograms and have their mammograms read by a VA breast radiologist, without traveling far from home. All this improves access for more than 337,000 women VA health care users. 

For more information about VA programs and services for women veterans, visit: www.va.gov/womenvet

and www.womenshealth.va.gov.