Join Atrium Health Navicent this October to Raise Awareness About Breast Cancer

This October, there are more than just pumpkins decorating homes and businesses across central Georgia. Pink and green Paper Doll silhouettes have begun making an annual appearance as well. These Paper Dolls — symbols of breast health, breast education and the belief that knowledge is power — made their debut in central Georgia in 2024 and mark the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. An American Cancer Society (ACS) report released in late 2024 shows that 1 in every 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and 1 in 43 will die.

While overall survival rates are increasing among breast cancer patients, so is the number of women under 50 being diagnosed. Despite breast cancer incidence rates increasing, especially in women younger than 50, breast cancer death rates have decreased by 44 percent since 1989.

C.H.E.C.K. List

Doctors at Atrium Health Navicent Peyton Anderson Cancer Center encourage the community to keep the following C.H.E.C.K. list in mind while considering top contributing risk factors for breast cancer:

• C – Choices: Lifestyle choices matter. A sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and excess weight, especially after menopause, can increase your risk.
• H – History: Family history plays a powerful role. Having a mother, sister or daughter diagnosed with breast cancer, especially at a young age, raises your risk significantly.
• E – Estrogen: Longer lifetime exposure to estrogen increases risk. This includes early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55) and hormone replacement therapy.
• C – Consumption: High alcohol consumption and diets with lots of processed foods are associated with higher breast cancer risk. Public awareness remains low; 51 percent of Americans don’t know alcohol is a cancer risk factor, according to the American Association for Cancer Research.
• K – Know: Know your genes. Mutations in genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase breast cancer risk by up to 70 percent. Genetic counseling and testing are key tools in identifying high-risk individuals.

Regular mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before a mass is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. It’s recommended that all women have a baseline screening mammogram at age 40, and in some cases, women between the ages of 35 and 39 may also need a baseline mammogram.

“Let’s use this month to help all women to be more aware of how prevalent breast cancer is and the tools that we have to diagnose and treat this deadly disease,” said Dr. Paul Dale, an Atrium Health Navicent surgical oncologist. “Early detection saves lives, so if you’ve been putting off getting a mammogram, this month is a great time to talk with your doctor and get one scheduled, or schedule an appointment on the new Atrium Health Navicent mobile mammography coach.”

Events

Mobile Mammography Coach Schedule

Breast cancer screenings are also available by visiting Atrium Health Navicent’s mobile mammography coach as it travels throughout central Georgia:

• Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care and Occupational Medicine, 113 Willie Lee Pkwy, Warner Robins Warner Robins
• Oct. 3 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Peach County Health Department, 503 Bluebird Blvd., Fort Valley
• Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin, 821 N. Cobb St.
• Oct. 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care West, 3780 Eisenhower Pkwy., Macon
• Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Preston Williams Center, 700 Vienna Road, Montezuma
• Oct. 11 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Macedonia Church, 600 Eisenhower Pkwy., Macon
• Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bibb Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 3268 Avondale Mill Road, Macon
• Oct. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care Fort Valley, 201 Avera Drive, Fort Valley
• Oct. 15 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hartley Elementary School, 2230 Anthony Road, Macon
• Oct. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at At Home Senior Living of Cochran, 147 S. Sixth St. SE, Cochran
• Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central State Hospital administration building, 171 Allen Road, Milledgeville
• Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at House of Hope Macon, 1909 Woodland Drive, Macon
• Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at City of Tennille building, 106 Park Street, Tennille
• Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Houston County Health Department, 98 Cohen Walker Drive, Warner Robins
• Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at 91 Telfair Ave, McRae
• Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care Internal Medicine Baldwin, 2803 N. Columbia St., Milledgeville
• Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 809 S. Davis Drive, Warner Robins

Atrium Health Navicent Peyton Anderson Cancer Center provides the latest technology for the early detection of breast cancer, including state-of-the-art 3D mammography and new wireless localization technology, as well as 3D biopsies, same-day biopsies, breast ultrasounds, 3D mammography, wireless breast localization biopsies, molecular breast imaging and breast MRI and Breast MBI. High-risk hereditary screenings are also available.

Atrium Health Navicent Breast Care Center, a facility of Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center, has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology’s Commission on Quality and Safety and the Commission on Breast Imaging. It is also accredited by The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and has been a National Consortium of Breast Centers Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence since 2013.

The caring and experienced team of specialists at Atrium Health Navicent Peyton Anderson Cancer Center offer services ranging from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and survivorship support. For information about cancer services, call 478-633-3000. To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”