WOMEN aged 40 and over should make an annual mammogram a critical part of their health regime, according to radiologist Dr Derria Cornwall, who was speaking at the third annual CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Walk for the Cure at Emancipation Park on Sunday, October 5.

Dr Cornwall said that both men and women are at risk of breast cancer, but women aged 40 and over, are at the highest risk.

She said that as a matter of course, persons should do self-examinations in the normal course of their baths, checking for lumps and reporting any unusual mass to their doctor immediately.

Noting that women are presenting with breast cancer at various ages, including late teens and early twenties, Dr Cornwall said that “women have to be especially vigilant and have the appropriate screening done to ensure they are cancer free”.

“Early detection of cancer can mean the world of difference in terms of care and treatment and survival rates,” Dr Cornwall noted.

Managing director of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, Nigel Holness, urged staff, family and friends at the event to “manage their health responsibly”.

This is the third year that the bank has partnered with the Jamaica Cancer Society to raise awareness of cancer. They were also joined by other corporate entities, including regional sponsor Deloitte and Jamaica-based sponsors – LIME, Down Sound Records, GraceKennedy & Company Ltd, Barita Investment Ltd, JAMLAND, the Facey Group, and the Jamaica Observer.

The event is part of a Caribbean-wide initiative that has seen the bank partnering with organisations across 17 countries to raise awareness and funds to fight the disease. It coincides annually with parent company CIBC’s support for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s Run for the Cure, which since 1992, has raised more than $36m for breast cancer research.