First Lady Anita Perry: Mammograms are an Important Tool in the Battle Against Breast Cancer

First Lady Anita Perry today was joined by breast cancer survivors, health care advocates and medical providers to emphasize the importance of routine screening mammograms for women over the age of 40. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommend against routine screening mammograms in women ages 40 to 49, and that women ages 50 to 59 only get mammograms every other year.

"One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and one in five of those diagnoses will be made in women between the ages of 40 and 49," Mrs. Perry said. "We are gathering here to make it clear to the women of Texas that annual mammograms for anyone over 40 are, and will continue to be, important tools in the battle against this disease."

Age is a primary factor in the increased risk of breast cancer. From 2002-2006, 95 percent of new cases and 97 percent of breast cancer deaths occurred in women aged 40 and older. Early detection remains the best method for surviving breast cancer, with the five year survival rate at 98 percent when the disease is caught early.

Although breast cancer ranks second to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women, it is the most frequently diagnosed. Research from the American Cancer Society predicts an estimated 192,370 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed this year in women in the United States. More than 40,170 women were expected to lose their battle with breast cancer in 2009.

Mrs. Perry continues to be a strong advocate for women in the fight against breast cancer. Each October, the first lady kicks off the statewide observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which encourages breast cancer education, offers prevention strategies, and honors breast cancer survivors and victims.

For more information about breast cancer, please visit http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp.