CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed among Latinas at a young age and can lead to more aggressive diseases, such as triple-negative breast cancer.
“Hispanic women die from cancer more than all other women because we wait until the last one, so at that time it is very difficult because perhaps the cancer is already advanced,” South Coastal Area Health Education Center Director Belinda Flores said.
She said they have noticed that many women wait to get their mammograms because they can be very expensive. But the centers' work with a local South Texas Family Planning clinic could help.
“With the health program in my hands, women can do it that costs them nothing because most of the time there is no cost,” Flores said.
Flores added the best way to ensure women can combat this type of cancer in its early stages is to have annual checkups, and she said cost should never be an issue.
“It is very important that we take this exam. Many women think 'It's not that it's going to hurt or something, it's that I don't look at anything, I'm fine or I don't have the time' is true. But let's not leave for tomorrow what we can do today,” Flores said.
The Family Planning Center of South Texas has clinics throughout South Texas and offers free mammograms, pap smears, and even the HPV vaccine that helps prevent cancer through programs that almost everyone is eligible for.
