 In 1996 Armenia's Minister of Health identified breast cancer as the nation's leading cause of cancer deaths among women, but Armenia was incapable of addressing its breast cancer crisis.In 1997, AACA decided to explore the issue and organized its first Medical Mission to Armenia.The team included medical professionals from the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., and Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio who selected and trained Armenian medical professionals and helped install mammography units and other equipment to establish the first breast cancer screening facility in the Caucasus Region.