Early detection and prevention is key
Numerous activities throughout the month
Nevada
Cancer Institute (NVCI) is offering reduced-cost screening mammograms to
uninsured Nevada women over 40 years of age during the month of October,
National Breast Cancer Awareness month.
To improve access to life-saving screenings, NVCI is offering the
reduced-cost screening mammograms to uninsured women at $50 during
October. Mammograms should be performed once a year beginning at age 40,
per American Cancer Society guidelines.
This is a screening
mammogram only; the $50 special price is for cash-pay uninsured patients
only. Patients with insurance will be billed accordingly. Your results
will be mailed to you and your physician. Special price offer must be
paid in full at the time of service and can not be used in conjunction
with any insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid.
“Nevada Cancer Institute, the state’s designated cancer institute, wants
to make sure that preventative screenings are available to all women,
including the uninsured,” said Heather Murren, NVCI chairman of the
board and cofounder.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in Nevada. It
is estimated that there will be 1,270 new cases of breast cancer
diagnosed in Nevada in 2008. Approximately 340 Nevada women identified
with breast cancer will die in 2008. If detected early, it is estimated
that 95 percent of women will survive five years beyond a breast cancer
diagnosis.
Mammography can
detect approximately 85 percent of breast cancers and can detect tumors
an average of one to three years before a woman feels a lump through
breast self exam. Early detection and access to current treatments can
dramatically influence outcomes.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), Nevada has one of the
lowest mammography screening rates nationally.
“Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women, and the second leading
cause of cancer-related death in women. Prevention and early detection
are very important,” said Phillip Manno. M.D., F.A.C.P, NVCI
Chief of
Clinical Oncology and Hematology Services. “When breast
cancer is detected early and appropriately treated, it is highly
curable.”
Through NVCI’s
Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic, NVCI provides a team approach
for any patient diagnosed with breast cancer, offering compassionate and
coordinated care. With a full-range of expertise in diagnostic digital
imaging, pathology, medical and radiation oncology, and support networks
that offer on-staff social worker, nutritionist and survivorship
programs, NVCI treats the whole patient.
“Our collaborative
approach to breast cancer care ensures that patients receive the highest
quality care available,” said Karen Milligan, Assistant Member,
Department of Clinical Oncology.
NVCI offers
state-of-the-art imaging in digital mammography, X-ray, MRI, CT,
ultrasound, and PET/CT. It is a completely filmless center - all images
are stored digitally.
Digital mammography significantly improves the capability to diagnose
breast cancer earlier in some women. Mammograms can change over time;
therefore, it is important for the doctor to look at previous mammogram
films for comparison. Digital technology allows clinicians more
opportunities for diagnosis compared with older, film-based technology.
To schedule an appointment for your $50 screening mammogram, call (702)
822-5416. Please inform the receptionist if you have had any previous
breast surgeries.
Breast Cancer
Awareness Month Activities:
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Pink Jeep Tours and Nevada Cancer Institute will kick off
October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month with the first annual “Trek
for the Cure.” Be one of the first to explore Las Vegas’ picturesque
Red Rock Canyon in the brand new Tour Trekker, the luxurious yet
rugged first of its kind, high-end, all-terrain, 4-wheel drive
vehicle, designed to be the ultimate tour vehicle. Join us at the
Institute on Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. for the Trek for the
Cure kick off event!
Throughout October, Pink Jeep Tours will donate $4.80 from
all Red Rock Tour sales to the Institute. Founded in 1958, $4.80
represents 48 years of Pink Jeep Tours’ brand. To book your tour, call
at (888) 900-4480 or go to
www.pinkjeep.com
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Host a Pink Party to benefit Nevada Cancer Institute
Host a Pink Party – a party to celebrate anyone touched by
breast cancer. Invite your friends, and Brighton Collectibles
will supply the rest (i.e., refreshments, invitations, party
decorations). Brighton and the Borsack Family will donate 10 percent of
the sales from your event to Nevada Cancer Institute. To book a Pink
Party, call 269-6347 for more details.
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Breast Health Information:
NVCI will have its breast health educator available on Oct. 1
to answer questions from the public and distribute information at
the Institute from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and during the Pink Jeep
Tours news conference at 8 a.m.
-
Breast Cancer Support Group:
Meets Monday Oct.
6 and Monday Oct. 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at NVCI’s Sunflower Café,
One Breakthrough Way.
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Hope Coach in northern Nevada:
Nevada Cancer
Institute’s (NVCI) Hope Coach, a mobile digital mammography
van, will be in northern Nevada for the first time to screen women
for breast cancer.
Hope Coach will be at the Best Western Hotel in Tonopah on
Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. Hope Coach will be in the parking
lot of the Grant Medical Building in Hawthorne on Oct. 1 and
Oct. 2.
To schedule an appointment on the Hope Coach, please
call 1-866-721-4673.
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