Project Self-Sufficiency offers free mammograms

Newton - Free mammograms will be offered to clients of Newton-based Project Self-Sufficiency — and to some members of the general public — from 10 am to noon, on Friday, May 12.. Thanks to donations by the Sparta Friends and Neighbor’s Club, skilled professionals from Multi-Diagnostics Services, Inc., will perform mammograms on women over the age of 40 who have not received a mammogram in the past year. Mammograms have an 85 percent to 90 percent accuracy rate in breast cnacer detection and may even detect breast cancers up to two years before they can be felt through clinical or self-breast exam. According to American Cancer Society estimates, 212,900 U.S. women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during 2006. Chances of a woman developing invasive breast cancer are one in eight. Of those women currently living with breast cancer in this country, approximately 40,970 will not survive the year. However, breast cancer death rates are declining due to early detection methods, namely mammography. In the U.S., slightly more than two million women have either been diagnosed with or are being treated for breast cancer. For women 40-59 years of age, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Early detection is essential in the fight against the disease. The American Cancer Society outlines three steps to early detection that all women should follow. 1. Mammograms should be done every year after the age of 40. However, if there is a history of breast cancer in your family, you may need to start having mammograms earlier, starting at age 35. 2. Breast self-exams should be done every month starting at age 20. 3. Clinical breast exams should be given every year starting at age 20. Combining these three methods gives women the best chance of detecting breast cancer at its earliest stages, when the survival rate is over 95 percent. In addition to receiving a free mammogram on May 12, participants will be given instruction in performing breast self-exams through the use of a step-by-step video. Free education materials on breast health and breast cancer will be distributed, as well as information on services offered for women’s health throughout Sussex County. An appointment is required to receive a free mammogram. For information, call 973-383-5129.