Roger Marshall: “For over 30 years, I wore a pink tie like the one I have on today to work almost every day. October is Breast Cancer…”

“For over 30 years, I wore a pink tie like the one I have on today to work almost every day. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but what most people don't realize, is that one out of eight women develop breast cancer in their life. As an obstetrician and gynecologist, I have had to tell hundreds of women that very bad news. That is why I try to remember every October, remember to encourage women to go get their mammogram done. If you are over the age of 35 and it has been over a year since your last mammogram, please call your physician's office, talk to a nurse and ask her: Is it time for you to go get your next mammogram done? I think it is good for us to talk about risk factors for breast cancer, and, of course, everyone knows that the risk of a family member having breast cancer increases your risk, and that may encourage you to get your mammogram done more often and at a younger age. If you have more than one first-degree relative with breast cancer, you want to talk to your doctor about some genetic studies to see if, indeed, you are carrying some type of a gene mutation that would increase your risk for breast cancer. But there are other risk factors as well that people don't often think about.…”