Reader submitted article: Mammograms offered

Roosevelt County Cooperative Extension Service will once again will be offering a Breast Cancer Screening Clinic. Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center will do the screenings.

The screening will be held in Portales, at the Roosevelt County Extension Office, 705 E. Lime from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on March 8.

You should call 1-800-377-4673, as soon as possible to ensure an appointment. At the time you make your appointment you will give them your insurance information. You will be expected to pay your co-pay at the time of the mammogram. Financial aid is also available.

The goal of screening exams is to find cancers before they start to cause symptoms. Breast cancers found when they are causing symptoms tend to be larger and are more likely to have already spread. In contrast, breast cancers found during screening exams are more likely to be smaller and still confined to the breast.

The size of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are some of the most important factors in predicting the prognosis of a woman with this disease.

Most doctors feel early detection tests for breast cancer save many thousands of lives each year, and many more lives could be saved if even more women and their health care providers took advantage of these tests. Following the American Cancer Society's guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer improves the chances breast cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated.

Information: Connie Moyers or Sherri Best at 356-4417.

Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, serve or assistance in order to participate in this educational activity are encouraged to contact us to determine how reasonable accommodations may be made.

— Submitted by Connie Moyers, Roosevelt County Extension Home Economist