Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, IU Starke Hospital is offering $95 mammograms for women. IU Health Starke Hospital’s Community Relations Director Ted Hayes recently spoke with local gynecologist Dr. Lyjia Strachan about the importance of breast cancer checks.
Dr. Strachan says that contrary to recent information, women ages 40 and older still need a biennial mammogram. She also wishes to remind women that they need to do periodic self-checks for lumps or any breast changes and report those changes to their physician. Breast lumps are not always cancerous, however: they could be cysts or benign tumors.
The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center says that 25 percent of all breast cancer victims are younger than 40 years old. Eighty-five percent of these victims do not even have the disease in their family history. However, women with a close relative that is a breast cancer victim still have a greater risk of contracting the disease themselves.
Dr. Lyjia Strachan’s office is located at 104 E. Culver Rd., Suite 103. Her office phone number is 772-0100.
