Don’t Skip: Two Words that Will Make a Difference

Today marks the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month around the world. In a more normal year, that would mean pink ribbons in various settings, inspirational gatherings of survivors and supporters, and a global moment of awareness for one of the most common cancers in women worldwide.[1]

But in today’s COVID-19 reality, this October will undoubtably look different. Outside the clinic, many of these gatherings and efforts will be virtual and pink ribbons will be worn on masks. Inside the clinic, providers have redefined their workflows, added layers of safety precautions, and prepared for what is typically the busiest month of screenings during the year.

And the millions of women who would normally be getting their annual screening? They’re facing new challenges like balancing their work and home life and additional anxieties around returning to clinics and hospitals for their mammograms.

We know that early detection saves lives and by not skipping mammography screenings, a patient’s risk of dying of breast cancer is reduced by 41 percent within 10 years of diagnosis.[2]

But these new challenges have resulted in breast cancer screenings hitting unprecedented lows during the pandemic. Today, experts are predicting this delay in diagnosis will likely lead to presentation at more advanced stages and poorer clinical outcomes for women.[3]

With all of this in mind, the team at GE Healthcare has landed on one simple message for women this October: Don’t skip.

No matter where you are, below are some easy ways you can get involved and raise awareness around breast cancer during October:

• Don’t Skip Videos, Facebook Frames, and Social Media Stickers: If you want to share this important message with your network, click here to share a video, search Don’t Skip in Facebook’s Profile Photo Frame library to encourage other's not to skip, and use our Don’t Skip social media story stickers to add this message to your posts.  
• MyWaitingRoom Patient Application: The newly launched MyWaitingRoom patient application provides users with a digital experience of scheduling and undergoing a mammogram. The goal is to remove some of the anxiety and fear that keeps patients from getting their mammogram. Click here to access the web app.
• Breast Care Heroes: Our breast care heroes are the individuals that go above and beyond to highlight the importance of breast care for women. Click here to read their stories and nominate your breast care hero.
• Essential Screenings for Women with Dense Breasts Webinar on October 6th: This webinar will give attendees the tools to raise awareness on breast density and improving screening access to essential screenings. The session’s panelists will include Andrea Wolf, CEO, the Brem Foundation, Gail Zeamer, Patient Advocate, Phyllis Fulk, CFO/Practice Administrator, Imaging for Women, and Georgia Giakoumis Spear, M.D., Chief of the Department of Breast Imaging, NorthShore University HealthSystem. Click here to register.  
• Don’t Skip: Rethinking the Patient Mammography Experience Webinar on October 27th: In this webinar, several breast health experts will discuss how we can rethink the mammogram experience to engage more women. The session will be moderated by Linda N. Greer, M.D., Medical Director, The Breast Center at Abrazo Central Campus and panelists will include Josie Alpers, M.D., Diagnostic Radiologist, Avera Medical Group Radiology Director of Mammography, Avera Breast Center, Marc Lobbes, M.D., Director of the breast imaging center of the Zuyderland Medical Center in Sittard-Geleen, The Netherlands, Maria Victoria Velasquez, M.D., Staff Radiologist at the Women’s Imaging Center for Breast Care at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, and Karl N. Yaeger, M.D., Diagnostic Radiologist for St. Luke's Hospital  Click here to register. 

Together, I look forward to the continued impact we are having on improving access to breast care for women worldwide. If you have additional resources or thoughts, I encourage you to share them in the comments. 

[1] https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/cancer-trends/worldwide-cancer-data#:~:text=Breast%20cancer%20was%20the%20most,non%2Dmelanoma%20skin%20cancer

[2] https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cncr.32859

[3] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2768946