Breast Cancer Awareness Shouldn't End in October

Early Detection Is a Longevity Strategy

October may be ending, but breast cancer awareness should never stop.

Because early detection doesn’t just save lives —

it protects longevity, healthspan, and joyspan.

As conversations around women’s health increasingly shift toward living longer and living well, breast cancer screening remains one of the most powerful — and proven — interventions we have.

When detected early, breast cancer has a 99% five-year survival rate, according to the American Cancer Society. That number alone reframes screening not as something to fear, but as an act of self-leadership.

Screening Is a Privilege — and a Responsibility

Here in the United States, we are fortunate.

Current guidelines recommend annual screening beginning at age 40, particularly for women with dense breast tissue, where cancers can be more difficult to detect. Modern imaging — including Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) — has dramatically improved detection compared to older mammography technologies.

Globally, this is not the reality.

In many developing countries, women wait months for outdated scans that miss cancers modern tools can identify early. The disparity is stark — and it underscores why access, awareness, and innovation matter so deeply.

When Technology Meets Purpose

A few years ago, during my time at iCAD, my team helped bring to market one of the earliest AI-assisted breast cancer detection tools. These solutions didn’t just improve detection rates — they enabled personalized one- to two-year risk prediction, allowing clinicians and women to act earlier and more precisely.

I’ve seen firsthand how early detection changes trajectories.

It changes outcomes.

And yes — it saves lives.

Today, we are in a remarkable moment for women’s health:

• Mobile screening units are reaching rural and underserved communities

• Medicare, Medicaid, and all major insurers cover annual screening

• AI, advanced imaging, and workflow innovation are transforming care delivery

Together, technology and awareness are extending not just lifespan — but healthspan and joyspan.

Addressing the Fear (Because It’s Real)

Recently, a friend confided that she avoids mammograms because they’re painful — especially for women with larger breasts. She’s not wrong. Mammograms aren’t always comfortable, though newer designs and techniques are actively improving compression and patient experience.

She also shared something else: anxiety around “incidental findings” — unexpected results that can lead to callbacks and additional testing.

She’s far from alone.

• About 10% of women are called back after a screening mammogram (CDC)

• Yet fewer than 1 in 10 of those callbacks result in a cancer diagnosis (American Cancer Society)

I’ve been one of those women called back. I understand the fear. The waiting. The mental spiral.

But I also know this:

Living in fear doesn’t bring joy. Empowerment does.

Screening is not about assuming the worst.

It’s about staying informed.

It’s about giving yourself options.

It’s about protecting the future you’re working so hard to build.

Awareness Is an Ongoing Practice

As October comes to a close, let’s not let awareness fade with the calendar.

• Schedule your annual mammogram

• Encourage your sisters, daughters, mothers, and friends to do the same

• Reframe screening as an investment in longevity, vitality, and peace of mind

These technologies exist to support us — to monitor, to protect, and to help us live fully, not fearfully.

Breast cancer awareness isn’t seasonal.

It’s a lifelong act of self-care.

And when we prioritize early detection, we don’t just add years to life —

we add life to our years.