Peggy Myles, RN, is pictured with a mammogram machine. Myles has been in oncology since 2001 and emphasizes the importance of early detection in breast cancer cases.

Text and Photos
By Lilli Dwyer
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, healthcare professionals emphasize the importance of detecting the disease.

Peggy Myles, BSN, RN, OCN has been working in oncology since 2001 and currently serves as nurse navigator at Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital in Warsaw.

Breast cancer is usually found in one of two ways, Myles said: through a self-exam or through a mammogram.

Pictured is a mammogram machine at Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital’s Women’s Imaging Center. The medical recommendation is for women to begin annual mammogram testing at age 40.

The medical recommendation is for women to begin annual mammogram testing at 40 years old, though Myles noted if someone has a strong family history of breast cancer, their provider might recommend screening start at an earlier age.

Self-examinations are also an important detection tool, and should be performed monthly.

“We really want to stress that women should do their monthly self-exams, that way they’re familiar with their body, they notice any changes,” she explained.

Aside from lumps, signs of breast cancer can include skin changes like redness or dimpling, nipple discharge or discomfort in the breast tissue and surrounding area.

If breast cancer is found, one patient’s treatment plan might look very different from another. Treatments for breast cancer include surgeries like a mastectomy or lumpectomy. A lumpectomy might be followed by radiation. After surgery, a test called Oncotype DX is used on the breast tumor tissue to determine the risk of recurrence and if chemotherapy treatment would be beneficial.

“Ninety percent of women (who have this testing) don’t need chemo, and that’s why this (Oncotype DX) testing is so great, we don’t want to give chemo to people who don’t need it,” said Myles.

There is also hormone suppressant therapy for “certain types of cancer that need the estrogen in our bodies to survive and grow.” This medicine is prescribed for a period of at least five years.

“Early detection is key,” she went on. “There’s wonderful treatment for breast cancer. The outcomes are even better if it’s found early, but even if a woman is diagnosed with later stages of breast cancer, we are seeing women live years and years with the treatments that are available, and having a good quality of life.”

Breast cancer detection through self-examination is also necessary for men.

“It’s based on them being observant and noticing a lump or a change in their breast tissue. It’s very important that men don’t discount that,” Myles stressed.

Myles suggested anyone with a breast cancer patient in their life can support them by providing a listening ear and “just being available to them.” Support in the form of transportation, meals, and help with kids can also be very helpful.

When it comes to detection, there are community resources available to help those without insurance or whose insurance does not cover mammograms.

Francine’s Friends Mobile Mammography is a mobile service that offers 3D mammograms to women 35 and older who haven’t had a mammogram in the past 12 months. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (260) 483-1847. Appointments are preferred, walk-ins are accepted based on availability. More information and a schedule of Francine’s Friends locations is available at parkview.com.

For Kosciusko County residents diagnosed with cancer and in financial need, there’s the Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund. The fund is designed to help with things like household expenses, food and transportation costs to ease the financial burden of cancer treatment. More information is available at cancerfundkc.org.