Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Sherri Blevins

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is important to know the facts and risk factors associated with breast cancer.  One in eight women will experience breast cancer in their lifetime.  The National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc., is a valuable resource that contains information concerning early detection, diagnosis, stages, treatments, myths, and ways you can get involved to find a cure and support those suffering with the disease.  Listed below are facts and risks factors women should know, provided by the foundation:

• In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. as well as 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
• 62% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage, for which the 5-year survival rate is 99%.
• This year, an estimated 41,760 women will die from breast cancer in the U.S.
• Although rare, men get breast cancer too.  The lifetime risk for U.S. men is about 1 in 1,000.
• An estimated 2,670 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States, and approximately 500 will die from it.
• 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers.
• There are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
• On average, every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.
• Female breast cancer represents 15.2% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

Unchangeable Risk Factors

• Gender – Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men.
• Age – Two out of three women with invasive cancer are diagnosed after age 55.
• Race – Breast cancer is diagnosed more often in Caucasian women than women of other races.
• Family History and Genetic Factors – If your mother, sister, father, or child has been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, you have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. Your risk increases if your relative was diagnosed before the age of 50.  
• Personal Health History – If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the other breast in the future.  Also, your risk increases if abnormal breast cells have been detected before (such as atypical hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
• Menstrual and Reproductive History – Early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after 55), having your first child at an older age, or never having given birth can also increase your risk for breast cancer.
• Certain Genome Changes – Mutations in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, can increase your risk for breast cancer.  This is determined through a genetic test, which you may consider taking if you have a family history of breast cancer.  Individuals with these gene mutations can pass the gene mutation onto their children.
• Dense Breast Tissue – Having dense breast tissue can increase your risk for breast cancer and make lumps harder to detect. Several states have passed laws requiring physicians to disclose to women if their mammogram indicates that they have dense breasts so that they are aware of this risk.  Be sure to ask your physician if you have dense breasts and what the implications of having dense breasts are.

Remember, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Find a way to get involved in the fight.