The month of October is dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer. Did you know that every year in the United States over 250,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed? Here are some more basic facts about breast cancer to increase your knowledge or to share with others:
- Breast cancer is a tumor that forms from breast cells that grow out of control.
- Today in the United States, it is estimated that 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer. Men have a risk of about 1 in 900.
- Breast cancer is one of the most common diagnosed cancers in woman and has one of the highest death rates. However, since the late 1980s there has been a decrease in death rates thanks to new treatments and increased breast cancer screenings.
- Some risk factors of breast cancer include aging, being a woman, family history, pregnancy and more.
- Only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer is genetically linked to a father or mother.
- A common symptom of breast cancer is having a lump or mass in the breast.
- Currently there are screening tests available to woman on a yearly basis to help detect any early signs of breast cancer.
- Testing is also available to monitor health during and after treatment of breast cancer.
- Research is ongoing to help improve detection and treatment for breast cancer. Some current research involves genetic testing as well as how exercise and weight impact one’s risk for breast cancer.
Information was sourced from the following websites. Check them out for more information about breast cancer symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and side effects. Also, there are ideas for how to get involved in spreading breast cancer awareness!
https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html
