Long Beach State students of all genders can utilize the breast cancer exams offered at the Student Health Services Department during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.
The exams are offered for free throughout the year, however the SHS is primarily focused on urgent or short-term issues and do not offer mammograms or ultrasounds, according to Tressa McCullough, reproductive health coordinator at SHS.
Clinical breast exams are often done during medical check-ups, but they can be done at home. Breast examinations where a person will feel the breasts or chest area, underarms and breast bone for any unusual signs or lumps.
It’s estimated that there will be 290,560 new cases with an estimated 43,250 deaths in 2022.
An estimated 2,710 cases will be in males with an estimated 530 deaths of the expected cases in 2022. The death rate of breast cancer is much higher in men, according to the Center of Disease Control and Preventions and the National Cancer Institute.
When detected early, there is a five-year relative survival rate of over 99%. However, only 65% of breast cancer cases are detected in the early stage.