A statewide breast cancer screening project.

The cause of breast cancer remains unknown. Because prevention is not an option, early detection is the most viable alternative for decreasing the mortality rates from breast cancer. To promote early detection, the Arkansas Division of the American Cancer Society implemented a project aimed at increasing public awareness. The project used a three-pronged approach: the life-saving benefits of mammography, regular breast examination by a health-care professional, and the importance of regular breast self-examination (BSE). This article focuses on the third prong, BSE. Project members recruited and trained 408 BSE instructors in the MammaCare method of BSE and contacted a total of 87,141 Arkansas women about breast cancer and the importance of early detection. In a follow-up survey of 1,300 women, of the 198 (15%) who returned the surveys, two women reported finding lumps that were diagnosed as cancer.