Salt Lake Valley Health Department

Women's Cancer Screening

Being a woman is the number one risk factor for breast cancer!
In 2008, it is estimated that over 180,460 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, that is one every 2 minutes.
In the United States, a woman dies every 12 minutes from Breast Cancer.
1,010 new cases of female breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among Utah women this year.
Breast Cancer is the number ONE cancer killer for women in Utah!
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
95% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the early stage will survive.
The key to surviving breast cancer is an early diagnosis!

Risk Factors that increase the chances of developing Breast Cancer include:

Being a woman
Being older than age 40. Approximately 77 percent of women with breast cancer are age 50 or older at the time of diagnosis. (as you get older, your risk increases)
Having a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer doubles a woman’s risk.
Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy
Being overweight or obese
Use of alcohol (2 or more drinks daily)
Physical inactivity
Having a long menstrual history (started monthly periods before age 12 and starting menopause after age 55.)
Never having children, or having your first child after age 30

Breast Self Exam (BSE) - Should be performed once a month by all women 20 years of age and older. Learn how to do a breast self exam.
Clinical Breast Exam - All women 20 years of age and older should have a clinical breast exam with a trained medical provider every year.
Mammogram - All women 40 years of age and older should have a mammogram every year.

Do you know the truth about breast cancer? Take the quiz!

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus - it connects the body of the uterus to the vagina.
Cancer of the cervix may take several years to develop.
Cervical cancer begins at the pre-cancer stage where abnormal cells develop in the cervix. These cells are non-cancerous and can be detected through the Pap Test.
If left untreated, pre-cancerous cells of the cervix can lead to cancer of the cervix.
Exposure to sexually transmitted infections such as human papillomavirus and genital herpes may increase your risk of cervical cancer.
In order to prevent Cancer of the Cervix, all women who are sexually active or 20 years of age and older, should get a Pap test every 1 - 3 years.
Learn more about Cancer of the Cervix (External Link).