An unprecedented nationwide drop in breast cancer rates has some Long Islanders advocating preventative care more than ever.

Health professionals at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas Thursday announced a 7 percent drop in 2003. The finding is based on a study that attributed the decrease to fewer women taking hormone replacement therapies after menopause. Many women stopped taking the pills after a previous study linked the hormones to high breast cancer rates.

Long Island breast cancer activist Geri Barish says while any decrease is good, women should not become complacent. Barish says Long Island breast cancer rates remain above the national average. She identifies self breast exams and mammograms as critical factors in the battle against cancer.

Related InformationAmerican Cancer Society Reach to Recovery Program - 1-800-ACS-2345 Adelphi NY Breast Cancer Hotline Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition Brentwood/Bayshore Breast Cancer Coalition Stony Brook Baldwin Breast Cancer Center Breast Cancer Help, Inc. LI Cancer Help and Wellness Center Community Health and Environment Coalition Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition Hewlett House Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition Islip Breast Cancer Coalition Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Lindenhurst Breast Cancer Foundation Long Beach Breast Cancer Coalition Maurer Foundation The North Fork Breast Health Coalition Sisters Network, Inc. South Fork Breast Health Coalition West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island, Inc. Young Survival Coalition The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition LI2Day Walk to Fight Breast Cancer NYS Department of Health NYS Cancer Surveillance Improvement Initiative National Cancer Institute Linea telephonica de habla en Espanol - 631-473-3658