According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, breast cancer is the most common cancer among Montana women with more than two times the incidence of the next two most prevalent cancers combined. This year, 800 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Montana.

Help protect yourself. Know your risk, get your screenings, and stay healthy! There are things you can do to help reduce your risk and ensure that if you have breast cancer, you catch it early.

• Live a healthy lifestyle ... don't smoke, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise regularly.
• Don't forget your monthly self breast exams.
• Get regular clinical breast exams when you see your doctor and mammograms after age 40.
• To get the facts about breast cancer, check out the Susan G. Komen 2008 Breast Cancer Facts.

Currently, mammograms are the best tool we have for detecting breast cancer, and survival is highly dependent on early diagnosis. The American Cancer Society recommends that women 40 and over have a screening mammogram every year. The procedure is covered by most insurance companies, and for women without insurance coverage, the Montana Breast and Cervical Health Program provides funding for annual mammograms.