Female students and staff concerned about breast cancer are being given the opportunity to have a mammography screening on-campus.’Ninety-five percent of all breast cancers will be found through mammography,’ said Saundra Schaub of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital’s Mobile Mammography Unit.The American Cancer Society recommends that women 35 to 40-years-old be screened every few years to establish a ‘baseline mammogram.’ Women 40 to 49-years-old should be screened every one to two years, and women over 50 years-old should be screened annually.’If you are screened regularly, we are more likely to be able to find the cancer early,’ Schaub said. The cancer hospital sends out two mobile screening services every day, and can screen up to 28 women per day.’We’re expecting to screen about 125 to 150 women during this program,’ Schaub said.Mammography is not recommended for women under 35, unless they are referred by their doctor. ‘Greater breast tissue density in young women means they’re not good candidates,’ Schaub said. ‘A higher dose of X-ray would be required, and this puts the women at risk, so it’s not pursued very often.’ ‘We will be billing insurance plans directly,’ Schaub said.Students on the Ohio State student health insurance program however, must pay for the first $250 in mammography costs, in the form of a deductible.People without insurance or with lower incomes should not let that dissuade them from taking the test. They can apply to the American Cancer Society’s Better Education, Screening and Treatment program which offers free mammography screenings to uninsured and underinsured women. Paula Woodson, who works on the program, said, ‘We want the poorer students and staff to know that there is an option for them.’ ‘If they are diagnosed through us, they can also receive free treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery, through an agreement we have with several hospitals,’ Woodson said.Early detection can mean the difference between a cancer being caught, and it spreading and causing more damage.Katie Wilson, an OSU graduate student, said, ‘It was only because I had a regular mammogram checkup that my cancer was found.’Through self-exams and a regular schedule of mammograms Wilson’s cancer was detected before it spread, enabling her to receive treatment early enough so that she is now cancer-free.’I would recommend that anyone over 35 should be getting them (mammograms) about every two years, and all the younger girls should be doing self-exams just in case,’ Wilson said.