MedWatch- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month from Medwatch 7 KSWO on Vimeo.

LAWTON, OK (KSWO)- October is breast cancer awareness month; a time to celebrate survival, honor the fight and remind women 40 and older, to get their yearly mammogram.

Breast Cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women. One in eight will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Dr. Terry Wolf says getting yearly screenings is important.

“We know that the best way or the most likely way to survive breast cancer is to find cancer early, before it has had time to grow very large or to spread anywhere else in the body and the best way to find breast cancer early is to be getting you mammogram every year,” said Dr. Wolf.

Besides getting your yearly screening, Dr. Wolf suggests that women do self-breast examinations about once a month.

“It’s important to know what your body feels like, to know if there are changes happening. Not all breast cancers are found with self-examination, some breast cancers can’t be felt but some can be. We know that about 15 to 20% are not found by mammography alone. So, anything we can do to increase awareness of our bodies and be screening ourselves for breast cancer is important,” Dr. Wolf said.

Dr. Wolf says if you notice any changes in your breasts, you should contact your doctor. And while a normal mammogram can be a relief, she says you should continue to get one every year.

“Just having one normal one doesn’t mean that…it may not be normal the next year so while it’s great to have a normal mammogram, you’ve got to keep doing those screenings every year because what we’re looking for is small changes that may be a clue to breast cancer developing,” insisted Dr. Wolf.

This month can be used as a reminder not only for you, but also for your friends and family members, to make sure they get their yearly mammograms.

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