National Mammography Day is Friday, Oct. 17, and the McCreery Cancer Center and American Cancer Society want to use this opportunity to strongly urge women over 40 to schedule their yearly mammograms. Mammography has been proven as the most effective screening test for early detection of breast cancer and will detect 80 to 90 percent of breast cancers in women with no symptoms.

We are alarmed and distressed that Iowa’s mammography rates are dropping. In 2005, 65 percent of women 40 and over reported having received a mammogram within the last year. Currently only 60 percent report having been screened.

Many people have worked to raise money for breast cancer research. That research has made breast cancer 98 percent survivable, but only when it is detected in its earliest stages.

The best way to thank everyone who has made breast cancer more survivable is to take advantage of the lifesaving screening every year. If you have health coverage for your mammogram, schedule it today. If you do not have the needed coverage, you can call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 to help you find free or reduced price screenings.

Barbara Ball, Director

McCreery Cancer Center

Ottumwa

Tyler Weig, Health Promotions,

American Cancer Society