Free Breast Exams

In conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Mobile County Health Department’s Wellness Express will be at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 101 S. Beltline Hwy. on Friday, Oct. 24, to offer free clinical breast examinations from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Nurse practitioners will conduct examinations for women age 40 or older and for women under 40 if they are experiencing breast problems. Women in the age range of 50 to 64 years who have no medical insurance or are underinsured are eligible to receive a voucher for a free mammogram.

Citing a report from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Bernard Eichold, Health Officer, says breast cancer is the most common cancer in women aside from skin cancer. The report, he says, predicts there will be 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in women in the United States this year. Of these, an estimated 40,480 will die from the disease.

“Early detection is critical to successfully treating breast cancer,” Dr. Eichold says. “We are encouraging women to take advantage of the free breast examinations the Health Department is offering.”

For more information, call 690-8957 or 694-3984.
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Breast cancer’s most common risk factors

•Gender: The highest risk factor for breast cancer is being female; the disease is about 100 times more common among women.
•Age: The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman grows older. The risk is especially high for women age 60 and older. Breast cancer is uncommon in women younger than age 35 although it does occur. There is some evidence to suggest young African American women are at greater risk for breast cancer than young Caucasian women.
•Personal History: Women who have had breast cancer and women with a history of breast disease (not
cancer, but a condition that may predispose them to cancer) may develop it again.
•Family History: The risk of developing breast cancer increases for a woman whose mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives have had the disease. It is important to know how old they were at the time they were diagnosed.