Pioneer Breast Health and Community Outreach of Denton County

Facts about Breast Cancer in Denton County

Breast Cancer does not discriminate. One in eight U.S. women will be one of the 182,460 diagnosed with breast cancer this year (Komen.org, 2008). Getting tested regularly for breast cancer is the best way for women to lower their risk of dying from the disease. Screening tests can find cancer early, when it’s most treatable.

Texas has some of the poorest counties in the nation and continues to have the highest rate of uninsured individuals even though  it also has cities with some of the largest household incomes in the country (U.S. Census, 2006). Denton County has been recognized by Susan G. Komen for the Cure ^(R) as a county in need of breast health education, screening and treatment for women. According to the most recent data provied by the  U.S. Census Bureau (2006), in 1999, the average household income in Denton  was $35,422, and the number of persons below poverty level was 16.1%

Denton County’s rate of breast cancer deaths was 27.5 per 100,000 in 2001.  This mortality rate is considerably higher than the breast cancer death rate of 24.9 per 100,000 for the state of Texas.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO EARLY DETECTION

Education and screening are necessary to diagnose and prevent breast cancer in early stages, so more underserved women receive a positive prognosis. Education is especially important, as research has shown that despite efforts to make screening more accessible to all, rates of mammography have declined  among women of all nationalities ages 50 and over since 2003 (Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 2007).