October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there is much to acknowledge in the progress made over recent years to combat this highly treatable disease. 

Raising awareness remains crucial, as breast cancer continues to affect alarming numbers of people. Aside from skin cancer, it is the most common cancer among American women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and 42,000 die from it. While men are much less at risk, about 1 in 100 breast cancer diagnoses still occur in males. 

Though breast cancer primarily impacts women over the age of 40, many younger women are also affected. Chances are, someone among your family, friends or colleagues has faced or is currently battling the disease. 

Thankfully, advancements in early detection and genetic testing for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes have dramatically improved how breast cancer is treated. And we can’t forget the enormous contributions of countless nonprofit organizations, raising awareness, securing funding and providing support services.

When it comes to prevention, self-exams and regular mammograms are still the best methods for early detection, catching the cancer when it’s smaller, more manageable, and before it spreads. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the five-year relative survival rate for localized breast cancer is 99 percent.

You can also reduce your own risk by maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, limiting alcohol intake and breastfeeding your children if possible.

At The Wright Center, we are doing our part to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the year, we partner with Lackawanna Mobile X-Ray to offer mammogram screenings at various locations across Northeast Pennsylvania. 

Appointments are available at The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Centers in Scranton, 501 S. Washington Ave., and Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, on the first Wednesday of each month. To schedule an appointment, call 570/230-0019. 

In addition, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement will host a Wonderful Women Breast Cancer Support program on Wednesday, October 16, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Teaching Health Center in Wilkes-Barre.

Dr. Lisa Thomas from Hematology & Oncology Associates of Northeastern Pennsylvania will deliver the keynote address, and Julie Rutkowski from the Strong and Coura’Jess Foundation will share the foundation’s mission of supporting women with terminal illnesses. 

The foundation was named in honor of Julie’s daughter, Jessica Rutkowski, a mother of three who passed away in 2021 from stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer. Admission to the event is free, though reservations are encouraged. Call Holly Przasnyski at 570/209-3275 or email her at przasnyskih@thewrightcenter.org. 

I want to emphasize once again that breast cancer is far from a death sentence, but it’s vital to promote the preventive services that can make a life-saving difference.

Kristina Tanovic, M.D., FACP, is board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine. Dr. Tanovic is accepting new patients of all ages at The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary care center in the Scranton Counseling Center, 329 Cherry St. Call 570/591-5250 to make an appointment.