Get Answers to Reducing Cancer Risks
Screenings and appointments? Who has time?
Learn why it is important to make the time.
Penn Highlands Healthcare invites local women to learn how to reduce their cancer risk through one of four educational programs being held throughout the region titled Get Answers to Help Prevent Cancer.
Presented by The Women’s Health Center of Penn Highlands Healthcare, these programs are created by Spirit of Women, a national network of leading hospitals dedicated to improving women's lives with innovative health and community programs.
The programs will be held:
May 18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Penn Highlands DuBois West, Central Resource Center, 204 Hospital Ave., DuBois, with guest speaker Dr. Kelley Smith, general surgeon;
May 19 from noon to 1 p.m., The Strawberry Tree, 578 State St., Curwensville, with guest speaker Dr. Traceyan Mendez, family physician;
May 21 from 6-7:30 p.m., The Village Peddler Country Store, 14 Erie Ave., St. Marys, with guest speaker Paulette Schreiber, nurse practitioner;
May 22 from noon to 1:30 p.m., Philipsburg Elks Lodge & Country Club, Port Matilda Highway, Philipsburg, with guest speakers, Mackenzie Gonder and Jared Ricotta, family practice physician assistants.
“Cancer is a word no one wants to hear and is a cause of death for nearly a quarter of a million women each year in the United States,” said Lori Rancik, RN, and case manager of the Women’s Health Center of Penn Highlands Healthcare. “Cancer is on the move, with the number of new cancer cases expected to increase nearly 45 percent by 2030.”
There’s so much that women can do to help ensure better overall health by knowing their bodies and being aware of any unusual changes or symptoms, Rancik said.
“Additionally, the more you know, the more positive steps you can take to help lower your cancer risk,” Mendez said. “We want women to understand the importance of leading a healthy life and getting screened at appropriate life stages.”
“It’s a fact that the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better,” Smith said. Making wiser lifestyle choices could prevent more than half of all cancer deaths in this country.
“Cancer. We hear the word every day,” Schreiber said. “It touches all of us either personally or via a family member, friend or acquaintance. Join us to learn more about the most common cancers in women – it’s more than just breast cancer – and how to screen for, diagnose and even some tips to prevent them. I hope to see you there!”
Do you know what the top ten cancers that affect women are?
The most common women’s cancers are, in this order:
• Breast cancer - more than 232,570 diagnoses of invasive breast cancer were to have occurred last year;
• Lung cancer - more than 100,000 cases may be diagnosed in women in 2015;
• Colorectal cancer - more than 64,000 cases may be diagnosed in women this year;
• Uterine or endometrial (the lining of the uterus) cancer;
• Thyroid cancer;
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma;
• Melanoma or skin cancer;
• Kidney and renal pelvis cancer;
• Pancreatic cancer.
During this interactive presentation, speakers will focus on the three cancers most common to females—breast, lung and colorectal—and will be able to answer questions from those attending.
At the Philipsburg event, the speakers will also touch on other women’s issues to get the most from an appointment with a healthcare provider.
“We are very excited to share with the public valuable information regarding women’s health,” Gonder and Ricotta said. “We hope this will enable our patients to come into the office better prepared and more open to discussion about sensitive topics. We want you to get the most out of your visit.”
Cost to attend is $10. All include a light meal. Register soon as seating is limited. To RSVP, send your name, payment, phone number and the dates you wish to attend to “Lori Rancik/The Women’s Health Center, 100 Hospital Ave., DuBois, PA 15801.”
Please make checks payable to: The Women's Health Center of Penn Highlands.
For information, call Lori Rancik at 371-9666 or email at [email protected].