Atrium Health is expanding access to breast cancer screenings during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, offering walk-in mammograms and extended hours at participating locations beginning Wednesday, October 7.

Early screening is widely considered the best defense against breast cancer. Dr. Paul Dale, a surgical oncologist at Atrium Health, said catching the disease before symptoms appear can fundamentally change a patient’s course of treatment and survival.

“It may mean you need chemotherapy versus getting your mammogram early, and you may never need chemotherapy,” he said. “So finding it before it becomes symptomatic, before you feel it, before it presents with problems is very important and it imparts a better survival advantage.”

The walk-in mammogram program will continue throughout October. Residents are encouraged to use the month as an opportunity to take stock of their own health.

Read more at WMGT41.