PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — Stopping a killer could be as easy as making an appointment.

The North East Community Action Corporation is offering exams as the nation observes National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

The Show Me Healthy Women program offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings to income-qualifying women ages 35 to 64. NECAC Family Planning offers a variety of affordable screenings and low-cost health examinations to all ages based upon household income.

Government statistics show breast cancer is second only to skin-related carcinomas among women. More than 281,000 will develop it this year and one in eight during their lifetimes. The disease will kill an estimated 43,500 women in 2021.

NECAC operates health clinics in Hannibal, Bowling Green, Warrenton and O’Fallon. For more information, or to make an appointment, call (573) 221-3404.