National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Summer has given way to autumn. The kids have been back to school for more than a month. Fall festivals and football often are timely topics. Trick or Treat is coming soon.

October also provides an opportunity to make pink a primary color. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month puts the spotlight on a disease that has impacted and continues to impact countless women and their families.

Consider that:

• Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.
• One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the second-leading cause of cancer death among women.
• 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 breast cancer, according to statistics provided by the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
• This year an estimated 41,760 women will die from breast cancer in the U.S.
• Although rare, men may get breast cancer. The lifetime risk for U.S. men is 1 in 1,000.
• 62 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage for which the 5-year survival rate is 99 percent. The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s detected and treated early. More than 3.3 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the United States today.

One of the best steps toward a healthy outcome is a mammogram, which is the screening test for breast cancer. A mammogram may help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month enables us to raise awareness about the importance of detecting breast cancer early.

In recent years, there has been a gradual reduction in female breast cancer incidence rates among women age 50 and older. Death rates have been declining since about 1990 as a result of better screening and early detection as well as increased awareness and improving treatment options.

Awareness is power, especially this month, but also during any month of the year.