MAMMOthon - Grab the girls and go!

You know MAMMOGRAMS are the best defense you and your best gal pals have against breast cancer.

Make an appointment for your next screening mammogram during the Franciscan Alliance MAMMOthon.

Chat it up with the girls. We have refreshments, prize drawings (chance to win an iPad mini!) and chair massages (availability limited). Make a day of it. Reserve your spot today!

MARCH 20

6 AM - 7 PM
FRANCISCAN ST. ANTHONY HEALTH
301 West Homer Street • Michigan City
Appointments: (219) 877-1980

APRIL 17

9 AM - 6:30 PM
FRANCISCAN HAMMOND CLINIC
A department of Franciscan Physicians Hospital
7905 Calumet Avenue • Munster
Appointments: (219) 836-3600
Physician referral required.

APRIL 19

7 AM - 7 PM
FRANCISCAN ST. MARGARET HEALTH
5454 Hohman Avenue • Hammond
Appointments: (219) 933-2635

APRIL 19

6 AM - 7:30 PM
FRANCISCAN ST. ANTHONY HEALTH
1201 S. Main Street • Crown Point
Appointments: (219) 757-6250

APRIL 25

7 AM - 7 PM
FRANCISCAN ST. MARGARET HEALTH
24 Joliet • Dyer
Appointments: (219) 933-2635

Most insurances accepted. Physician referral required only at the Franciscan Hammond Clinic location. A limited number of appointments are available.

Franciscan Physicians Offering Free Mammograms

Franciscan Physicians Hospital received $6,750 from the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust (IBCAT) to provide 100 free screening mammograms for underinsured and uninsured area women. Screenings are done at the Franciscan Hammond Clinic Specialty Center, 7905 Calumet Ave., Munster.


Franciscan Hammond Clinic Specialty Center, 7905 Calumet Ave., Munster

The grant, which will not cover the entire cost of the mammography screening, is available Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2012. Financial assistance will be provided by Franciscan Physicians Hospital to supplement the cost of the mammograms.

The hospital currently provides roughly 5,100 mammograms per year and is partnering with Franciscan Hammond Clinic to identify women who would not otherwise be able to afford a screening.

Participants will complete a survey that indicates possible barriers to testing, such as financial, education, social and cultural, among others. The information is integrated into the program planning to refine the process for overcoming barriers.

The project, developed by IBCAT, the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust, aims to identify and resolve potential and actual barriers for women attempting to obtain regular screenings. Franciscan Physicians Hospital will assist by providing more than 500 women education on breast cancer through multiple educational offerings throughout 2012.

Dr. Cynthia Sanders, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Physicians Hospital, states, ”Both organizations are honored to be recipients of this grant. We plan to make it go a long way toward ensuring that this very important, life-saving service is available to women who might otherwise be unable to have the studies done.”


Mammography Screening Machine

For more information about health events and screenings, contact Franciscan Hammond Clinic at (219) 836-5800.

About Breast Cancer

More than 39,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2011 from breast cancer. According to the Susan G. Komen foundation, death rates have been decreasing since 1990 due to treatment advances, detection through screening and increased awareness. According to A.D.A.M. Total Health, roughly 12% of women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.

Colorectal Cancer - Early Detection Saves Lives!

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colon cancer screening can detect polyps and early cancers. Such screening can detect changes that can be treated before symptoms develop. Regular screenings may decrease deaths and prevent pain caused by colorectal cancer.

Several tools may be used, either alone or in combination, to screen for colon cancer:

1. The first method is stool tests that examine your bowel movements to check for blood. Polyps in the colon and smaller cancers often cause small amounts of bleeding that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The most common one used is the fecal occult blood test (FOBT). Newer stool tests are called the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and stool DNA test (sDNA).


2. The second method is a sigmoidoscopy exam. This test uses a flexible small scope to look at the lower part of your colon. Because it only looks at the last one-third of the large intestine (colon), it may miss some cancers. Most health care providers recommend that the stool test and sigmoidoscopy be used together.


3. The third method is a colonoscopy exam. A colonoscopy is similar to a sigmoidoscopy, but it allows the entire colon to be viewed. You will usually be mildly sedated during a colonoscopy.

SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AVERAGE-RISK PEOPLE
There is not enough evidence to determine which screening method is best. Discuss with your doctor which test is most appropriate for you.

Beginning at age 50, both men and women should have a screening test. Some health care providers recommend that African Americans begin screening at age 45.

Screening options for patients with an average risk for colon cancer:

• Colonoscopy every 10 years


• Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years


• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) every year - if results are positive, a colonoscopy is needed


• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 - 10 years, usually with stool testing FOBT done every 1 - 3 years


• Virtual colonoscopy every 5 years

A test called capsule endoscopy (swallowing a small, pill-sized camera) is also being studied, but it is not yet recommended for standard screening at this time.

SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HIGHER-RISK PEOPLE
People with certain risk factors for colon cancer may need earlier (before age 50) or more frequent testing.

More common risk factors are:

• A family history of inherited colorectal cancer syndromes, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)


• A strong family history of colorectal cancer or polyps. This usually means first-degree relatives (parent, sibling, or child) who developed these conditions younger than age 60.


• A personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps


• A personal history of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (for example, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease)

Screening for these groups of people is more likely to be done using colonoscopy.

Recently there has been interest in several new screening tests for colon cancer, including checking DNA in stool samples and the fecal immunochemical test (FIT).

Source: ADAM Total Health