It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and attention is focused on the second-most lethal cancer in women. An estimated 1 in 8 females will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Screening is key to catching breast cancer when it is most treatable.
Making mammograms accessible is important to UC Davis Health. The Department of Radiology is offering free mammograms to help meet the needs of uninsured or underinsured members of our community.
The screening mammograms are available for females aged 40 to 74 who have not had a mammogram in the past year and are not experiencing symptoms. Women with symptoms such as a lump, pain, swelling or discharge need a more advanced diagnostic mammogram.
"In Sacramento County, only 68% of eligible individuals are up to date on their breast cancer screening," said Marissa Bashore, health education supervisor for UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach and Engagement. "Regular screening mammography can help find breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be successful. We urge all females over the age of 40 to get annual mammograms."
The free mammogram appointments will be available Oct. 19, 20 and 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The mammograms will be done at the UC Davis Health Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center, 4860 Y St., Sacramento.
