Keeping abreast of the numbers

KELLOGG — For one reason or another, many Shoshone County residents have fell victim to cancer over the years.

Some individuals have success stories where they overcame the disease, showing to others that it can be beaten.

Sadly though, there are also loved ones of the victimized who cannot share the same story.

The scourge that is cancer can affect anyone for a variety of reasons and it is not picky about who it chooses to attack.

According to the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho (CDRI) in Boise, cancer became the leading cause of death in Idaho in 2008.

From 2011 to 2015, there were 62,050 total deaths reported in the state.

Of these, 13,470 (21.7 percent) were cancer related.

Here in our community, the statistics are quite similar to the state average.

Shoshone County had 912 total deaths during the time frames mentioned above.

210 of those deaths (23 percent) were attributed to some form cancer.

If broken down even further, the statistics reveal that the majority of the cancer deaths in our area are attributed to lung & bronchus, colorectal, pancreatic, female breast, and prostate types.

As we hit the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is an optimum time to take a closer look at the type with the second largest number of associated deaths in Shoshone County (lung & bronchus cancers take the number one spot with 69).

Of the 210 cancer related deaths from 2011 to 2015, 20 were caused by female breast cancer.

From 2010 to 2014, 57 total women were diagnosed with some form of the disease.

The cause of getting breast cancer (or any type of cancer, for that matter) can be attributed to many things.

CDRI states in their Shoshone County Cancer Profile that “it is generally accepted that 65-80 percent of all cancers are related to personal lifestyle or environmental factors, such as smoking and diet, and are therefore preventable.”

In a county that ranks near the bottom of overall health rankings, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s eighth annual “County Health Rankings” report released earlier this year (for more information on the report, see the Shoshone News-Press article “Measuring up” parts one and two), this information from the CDRI could be considered concerning.

The health ranking report showed that 16 percent of adults in Shoshone County are smokers, 31 percent are considered obese, and 28 percent classify as physically inactive.

Stacked on top of these statistics are other environmental factors that simply come with living in our area.

Lead, arsenic, and cadmium (all generally accepted as carcinogenic substances) are incredibly prevalent in the Silver Valley due to years of mining and smelting pollution.

The profile continues by saying, “other factors such as age, gender, and family history of specific cancers are also associated with cancer and aid in the identification of people at high risk.”

This means that although some cancers can be avoided by smart life choices, others (such as breast cancer) can be unavoidable.

In either case, whether it be from an unhealthy lifestyle or simply being prone due to age or genetics, early detection is vital to fighting the disease.

Shoshone County has recently stepped up its game in regards to detecting breast cancer.

In addition to acquiring a state of the art 3D mammogram machine, Shoshone Medical Center (SMC) is ensuring that no one is turned away.

“We bring the best technology available to the Silver Valley and we make it more accessible by working with people to pay for a mammogram,” SMC Marketing & Business Development Manager, Lisa Turpin said.

“We have never turned anyone away for lack of payment.”

Turpin also stresses that one of the reasons our death rate is so high in Shoshone County is due to people ignoring symptoms or waiting too long for screenings.

In addition to screening mammograms, SMC also is equipped to do diagnostic screenings such as a biopsy to confirm mammogram findings.

For more information on state and county cancer statistics, visit http://www.idcancer.org.

To schedule a mammogram locally, contact SMC at 208-784-1221.