Cookies and mammograms at Alaska Regional Hospital during breast cancer awareness month

Anchorage, AK, – As part of an ongoing effort to encourage women to get screened for breast cancer, Alaska Regional Hospital this month is rewarding those who get mammograms with a free Crumbl Classic Sugar cookie. “Women take care of everyone else, this is a small, sweet way of rewarding them for taking an important step to care for themselves,” Jennifer Opsut, Alaska Regional Hospital’s CEO, said, adding that an annual screening mammogram is one of the most important exams for women 40 and older.

Annual mammograms can help detect cancer early — when it is most treatable. In fact, mammograms may show changes in the breast that could be cancer years before physical symptoms are present.  Alaska Regional’s 3D mammography unit combines multiple x-rays to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast. This may allow for the identification of more cancers than standard mammography, help reduce the need for follow-up imaging, and could improve cancer detection in dense breast tissue.  Additionally, Alaska Regional is a Commission on Cancer- accredited hospital.

According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Statistics Center for Alaska:

• 530 Alaska women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and 70 women will die from it.
• Across the US, 287,850 women and 2,710 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022.

The cookie giveaway is for mammography patients during the month of October at the Alaska Regional Imaging Alliance. To schedule an appointment, patients may call (855) 226-9105.