Southwest Virginia breast cancer numbers are above average

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) -  The Susan G. Komen Circle of Hope breakfast is Tuesday morning.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.

Here locally in the Virginia Blue Ridge affiliate of Komen covering 31 cities and counties the numbers show every week:

• 16 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer
• 3 women will die
• 6 women will be diagnosed at a late stage with stage 4 breast cancer

"We are above average and we have more cases than normal and there are a lot of reasons for that. We are in a very rural area, there are a lot of barriers to health care so people aren't getting their screening mammograms so that's why we see you late," said Catherine Turner, Executive Director.

Komen Virginia Blue Ridge will award the money raised over the past year to local groups for screenings and diagnostic mammograms in areas like Martinsville, Danville, Roanoke and Lynchburg.