A Friday the 13th tradition for Windsor Regional Hospital.
The hospital held its 9th Cancer Education Day at the Ciociaro Club focusing on breast cancer and patient wellness.
Dr. Caroline Hamm is a Medical Oncologist at the Regional Cancer Centre.
She says thanks to new treatments, some cancer patients are living longer.
"Making sure women are getting proper screening so we can find the cancer early," says Dr. Hamm. "We're talking about treatments, the new treatments that are out for breast cancer so that they can help identify the side effects that they go see their family doctor about, an unusual discomfort or pain that they're having, that they don't miss that they could be the drug they're on that's causing it and then make sure we're involved in the care."
Dr. Hamm says there are up to 350 new breast cancer patients in Windsor per year.
"We're always looking to help the primary care, understanding cancer better so that the referrals and the conversation between oncologist and the primary care can really be elevated and we can really help the patients in the end by having more educated primary care team," says Dr. Hamm.
She says there are many new treatments for breast cancer.
"The changes that are happening, cancer society just announced that there's an overall improvement survival, it's 17% all cancers across the board and blood cancers 75% of survival," says Dr. Hamm. "Like the new treatments are unbelievably good, people living long past what they would have in the past."
About 120 patients and healthcare providers from Windsor, Leamington, Chatham and Sarnia attended the event.
The event has been happening for the past nine Friday the 13th's.