Breast cancer screenings are not only important for women but also men, advocates say
SACRAMENTO — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the message is clear: a simple screening can save lives.
Screening for breast cancer can save lives, just ask Rebecca Dabbs.
"Because of screening and that early diagnosis, I truly believed it saved my life and gave me time with my family," said Dabbs, a breast cancer survivor. "Thirteen years is a long time."
That was over a decade ago after she found a lump. She had no family history, was active, and didn't smoke. Now, she works with the American Cancer Society, urging women to get screened.
Dabbs said one in three cancer diagnoses is breast cancer, and there's a one-in-eight chance of females developing breast cancer in their lifetime.
"Because of screening, the death rate has actually dropped 43% in its peak in 1989," she said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99% of breast cancers diagnosed in the country are found in women. The remaining 1% are found in men. Juan Namnun was one of them.
"Complete and utter shock. I was speechless," Namnun said. "It was something that in my wildest dreams, I could not have fathomed. Breast cancer or almost any kind of cancer doesn't run in my family."
He had to have a double mastectomy and missed 3.5 months of work. Today, he's an advocate for the American Cancer Society.
"When you find a lump, it doesn't hurt anything to check, to feel, to self-test," Namnun said.
A quick check only takes a minute but can be life-saving.
The American Cancer Society said there are currently 4 million breast cancer survivors living in the country.