By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and health officials are urging women—especially those over 40—to make breast cancer screenings a routine part of their healthcare. While screenings can’t prevent breast cancer, they play a critical role in detecting the disease early, when it’s most treatable. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer found at a localized stage has a five-year relative survival rate of 99%.
Breast cancer continues to disproportionately affect Black women, who are more likely than their white or Hispanic counterparts to be diagnosed at younger ages and with more aggressive forms of the disease. Data from the American Cancer Society shows an estimated 40,530 new cases and 6,170 deaths are expected among Black women in 2025. While the overall incidence rate among Black women is slightly lower than that of white women — 131.3 cases per 100,000 compared to 137.9 — the rate is higher for Black women under age 40.
According to Colleen Pacheco, manager of Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Breast and Cervical Health Program, the importance of regular screenings that are tailored to individual risk factors cannot be overstated.
“There are a number of things women could be doing to taking care of their health and the most important thing is to get regular screenings because early and regular screenings are super key to saving lives since they help detect cancer when it’s most treatable before symptoms appear,” said Pacheco. “I think it’s important to say that in general, roughly 1 in 8 women in the US, will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. It’s the most common cancer amongst women in the US and it’s the second leading cause of cancer death.”
“In our state, we have the 9th highest number of breast cancer diagnoses in the nation, but we have one of the lowest screening rates,” added Pacheco. “So only about 64% of women ages 40 and older have gotten a mammogram. It’s really important to get screened regularly, starting at age 40.”
PHSKC provides resources such as their referral line called, the CHAPline. The Community Health Access Program referral line at 1-800-756-5437 or you can visit kingcounty.gov/chap, and women can actually talk to woman and discover if they’re eligible for the program or not and then get women scheduled for free mammograms.
Pacheco reinforces the importance of women speaking openly to each other about breast cancer and emphasize how early detection can save lives.
“It’s just really important to be talking about this and raising the importance of breast cancer awareness, a reminder, early detections really does save lives,” says Pacheco. “And in this month of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I really encourage everybody to talk to their loved ones, schedule a screening and share resources, whether it’s through a routine mammogram or helping someone else navigate access to care.”
“We all have a role to play in closing this gap,” added Pacheco. “So, our goal, our role, our hope is to make sure every woman, regardless of race, income, or zip code or age has the chance to catch cancer early and survive it.”
