Have you or someone you know been affected by breast cancer? By the end of 2009, more than 192,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, which includes 6,000 infected women just in the state of New Jersey. Out of those people who are diagnosed, about 40,000 will die from the disease.

However, there is something that YOU can do to stop the spread of breast cancer in America! Breast cancer is a preventable and treatable disease…if caught in its early stages. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is stressing the importance of prevention by early detection by conducting its “Annual Breast Cancer Screening Program” on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

The breast cancer screening is providing free clinical exams, breast health education and free mammograms to un/under insured members of the local New Jersey community. Why is it so important to get tested every year? Early detection programs like Beth Israel’s annual screening save thousands of lives each year! The earlier the cancer is spotted, the better chances the patient has at survival.

What are the risk factors for breast cancer? You should get screened if you:

• Are a woman – while men can also develop breast cancer, the disease is about 100 times more common among women than men
• Are in middle age – about 1 out of 8 invasive breast cancers are found in women younger than 45, while about 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or older
• Have a family history of breast cancer - having a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer almost doubles a woman’s risk. Having 2 first-degree relatives increases her risk about 5-fold
• Are White, African-American, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American – white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are African-American women. However, African-American women are more likely to die of this cancer. The other ethnicities have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, but EVERYONE should get screened!

The “Annual Breast Cancer Screening Program”, which will be conducted by the Frederick B. Cohen M.D. Comprehensive Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, will take place at 8am – 12pm at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Last year, 205 women were screened at this event, and doctors and nurses at the facility hope that even more will come out to be tested next week.

“The Cohen Cancer Center is committed to community outreach and to providing the latest treatment options to those with breast cancer,” says Dr. Alice J. Cohen, Director the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Participants will receive instructions on Breast Self Exam (BSE), Clinical Breast Exam (CBE), and Screening Mammograms from a physician, and be given appointments for FREE mammograms. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify.

The cancer program at Newark Beth Israel is dedicated to the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. The doctors, nurses, and other dedicated members of the medical staff provides educational workshops and training to various community groups to help spread the word that breast cancer CAN be prevented! Beth Israel is partnered with IMPACT NJ, a local organization committed to improving minority participation and access to clinical trials.

Registration is required to get screened at the annual event, and space is limited. To register, please call 973-926-7976 (English) or 973-926-3295 (Spanish).