Sen. Britt encourages women to prioritize cancer screenings – 'Early detection saves lives'

On Monday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) recognized that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

During this month, Britt encouraged women to talk to their health care providers and get screened, as well as learn more about the benefits of regular screening and potential risk factors for the disease.

“This month is not only important to raise awareness of breast cancer across America, but it is also a time to recommit ourselves to doing the critical work to provide women and their families with the support and evidence-based solutions needed to get diagnosed and then face their diagnosis head-on,” said Sen. Britt.

“We know that early detection saves lives, and the importance of giving women the widest variety of treatment options and the best chance to defeat this disease cannot be understated. I want to encourage every woman to talk to their health care provider this month – getting screened is the best way to detect breast cancer early. I will continue to support breast cancer research, education, and prevention efforts as we work towards a cure for this disease.”

Katie Britt is a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

There, Sen. Britt is working to provide women across Alabama and America with greater access to diagnostic testing.

Last month Britt helped reintroduce the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act, which would eliminate copays and other out-of-pocket expenses for breast cancer diagnostic tests, making them more accessible and affordable. The ABCD Act is bipartisan, bicameral legislation.

In May of this year, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a recommendation statement that all women should begin screening for breast cancer every other year beginning at age 40. Previously, the USPSTF recommended starting tests a decade later, but given the rise in invasive breast cancer among younger women, the agency updated their recommendation to increase the likelihood of early detection.

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama states that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime, including an estimated 4,500 women in Alabama in 2023.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the breast cancer rate for Alabama women is 122.0 per 100,000. 3,959 cases were reported in 2020 alone. Nationally breast cancer is by far the most common cancer among women and it is the second most common killer – trailing only lung cancer.

Breast cancer accounts for Breast cancer accounts for 31 percent of all cancers in women, according to the American Cancer Society. Nearly 300,000 women will likely be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. It will likely kill about 43,000 of them. According to the American Cancer Society breast cancer rates have been increasing by about 0.5 percent per year since the mid-2000s.

A study published in JAMA Network Open in August showed all cancers are on the rise for younger women, particularly those younger than 50.

If detected early breast cancer has a 96% survival rate.

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