RAPID CITY, SD – People will gather on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Monument Health Cancer Care Institute to walk 2.5 miles to raise awareness of breast cancer recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many will wear pink during the March for Mammos to show their support but all of them will be part of the effort to remind women that early detection is the first defense against the diagnosis 1 in 8 women will hear in her lifetime – breast cancer.
Screenings and mammograms are the best defense against breast cancer – Monument Health’s Breast Care Program recommends a mammogram annually starting at age 40. Additional screening options are available for women at high risk of breast cancer if necessary.
“Get your mammograms,” Ashlea Semmens, M.D., Medical Director, Monument Health Breast Center said. “If you’re concerned about something, say something. I will tell patients that I would rather see patients 50 times for a nothing in their breast than have somebody be at home and worried that something is going on but they just don’t want to say something.”
March for Mammos recognizes October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Monument is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the annual March for Mammos on Saturday, Oct. 10, starting at the Cancer Care Institute entrance. The March for Mammos is a 2.5-mile walk/run (wear something pink if you have it) to raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer screenings and mammograms.
Registration is between 8 and 8:30 a.m., the walk starts at 8:30 followed by beverages and snacks until 9:45 a.m.
Breast cancer impacts 1 in 8 women
The chance that a woman in the U.S. will develop breast cancer is about 12% – meaning 1 in 8 women will be faced with the life changing diagnosis. Breast cancer doesn’t discriminate by age; while it more commonly occurs in middle-aged and older women, Semmens said she has seen women as young as 20.
“There’s nothing that will one hundred percent prevent breast cancer but there are risk reduction strategies. Things that we know are good for overall health,” Semmens said.
For instance, maintaining a healthy body mass index, getting exercise and limiting processed foods, eating a healthy diet, refraining from smoking, and limiting or not drinking alcohol.
“All of the things we know are good for our overall health can help reduce women’s risk of breast cancer,” Semmens said.
The March for Mammos is only one small piece of Monument’s many initiatives and programs to treat breast cancer.
National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers
In January 2024, the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program administered by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) granted accredited status to the Monument Health Breast Care Program. As a NAPBC-accredited center, the Breast Care Program at Monument committed to maintaining levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered, and multidisciplinary care.
Patients receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center have access to information on clinical trials and new treatment options, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psychosocial support, rehabilitation services and survivorship care.
According to the American Cancer Society, the chance that a woman will die from breast cancer is about 1 in 43, making it the second leading cause of death for women after lung cancer. The hopeful news is that breast cancer death rates have been decreasing since 1989, most likely due to early detection from screenings, awareness, and better treatments.
