National Cancer Institute Launches Health Promotion Initiative to Coincide with National Mammography Day 

By Scanews staff

	(Rockville, MD) The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is releasing a new educational brochure on National Mammography Day, October 18th. The brochure, "Do It for Yourself, Do It for Your Family," was developed in response to rising rates of breast cancer among Asian and Pacific Islander women.  The brochure highlights crucial information on breast cancer risk for these women and the importance of mammography screening. It is printed in Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese as well as English.  

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Chinese women, the second most common type in Vietnamese women, and is the leading cause of death among Filipina women living in the United States. NCI will distribute the brochure nationally, emphasizing cities with large Asian populations. 

Recent studies show that breast cancer is on the rise for Asian and Pacific Islander women in the United States. Moreover, research suggests that Asian and Pacific Islander women living in the U.S. for ten years or longer are 80 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than recent immigrants. Yet nearly half of all Asian and Pacific Islander women aged 40 and older have not had a mammogram in the past 2 years.

"The number of new cases of breast cancer in the 80's and 90's for Asian American women was stable and even lower than for White women. We are concerned because we are seeing an increase for Asian American women today," said Worta McCaskill-Stevens, M.D., Program Director of the Community Oncology and Prevention Trials Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute. "Recent trends suggest an increase in invasive breast cancer for some Asian populations. Mammograms can find many of these cancers early, so it is important for Asian American women to follow mammography screening guidelines."

The National Cancer Institute's mammography guidelines recommend that women in their forties and older get a screening mammogram every one to two years. Women who are at higher risk for breast cancer, because of family history or other reasons, should speak with their doctor about how often they should have a mammogram. 

"Cancer screening among Asian American women is very low," said Afton Kobayashi of the National Asian Women's Health Organization (NAWHO). "Many Asian American women have no understanding of mammograms, and some have never heard of mammography, in part due to language barriers." Asian and Pacific Islander women face many barriers to screening because of language, culture, and a general lack of understanding about breast health, mammography, and the benefits of early detection.  

For more information about mammograms, call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).  The number for callers with TTY equipment is 1-800-332-8615. You can also visit the National Cancer Institute's Web site at http://breasthealth.cancer.gov.