Breast cancer screenings down 94 percent, doctor urges mammograms

MIAMI VALLEY — Coronavirus shut down schools, restaurants, and stores. However, it will not stand in cancer’s way. That is why doctors say the pandemic should not stop people from getting mammograms.

Buckeye Health Plan said breast cancer screenings are down 94 percent across the country.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 has already killed almost 5,000 people in Ohio. Now doctors are concerned the virus will indirectly take even more lives.

According to Buckeye Health Plan, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death for women in the state. Every year, an average of 8,932 people are diagnosed and 1,768 die from breast cancer in Ohio.

This is why Dr. Brad Lucas, Buckeye Health Plan’s chief medical director is urging women to take preventative measures and get their mammograms.

“Think about the next few months. Think about the things that you’ve gone through this year that have been such a challenge, and make future years less of a challenge by doing what the science tells us and going and getting a mammogram,” Dr. Lucas said.

Buckeye Health Plan said mammograms can detect about 85 percent of breast cancers and lower patients' risk of dying from the disease. It also said mammograms have found cancerous cells up to three years before women could feel them.

Women between 50 and 74-years-old who are at average risk for breast cancer should be getting mammograms every two years. Women 40 to 49-years-old should talk to their doctors about when to start.

Cox Media Group