One in eight American women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. It’s the second leading cause of cancer death among women after lung cancer.
But if caught and treated at its earliest stage, Park City Hospital radiation oncologist Dr. Joshua Gruhl said breast cancer survival rates are nearly 100%.
He said the key to early diagnosis is mammogram screening, a service offered by the Park City Hospital Cancer Center, which opened in August.
“I think that’s one of the most important things that women can do, as far as taking control of their own health, and, you know, catching breast cancer at the earliest possible stage,” Gruhl said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 16.
Gruhl said Utah ranks in the bottom five states nationally for breast cancer mammogram screening.
Locally, he said screening rates in Summit County are relatively high, but the numbers are much lower in rural areas.
He said the cancer center is offering online scheduling to streamline the appointment process.
“Taking that first step of actually scheduling that screening mammogram is often the hardest thing when it comes to breast cancer screening, and so we're trying to take all of the burden out of the screening process and of making that appointment,” he said.
To schedule a screening, patients can log in to the Intermountain Health portal, then select Park City Hospital and an available date and time.
