Did you know that, in the United States, about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers each year are breast cancer?
For a few decades now, October has been marked as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The originally week-long event for bringing attention to the disease slowly transformed into raising awareness for the whole 31 day period of October.
The month campaigns for educating people, particularly women, on the diagnosis, symptoms, and prevention of breast cancer. The goal is to help possible patients catch the signs early to help significantly increase the chances of a better outcome after treatment and lower health risk. Being informed on this topic can also develop a deeper understanding in people, allowing them to be better able to support those dealing with the disease.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. According to the CDC, every year in the U.S. 42,000 women and 500 men pass away from breast cancer. Most commonly diagnosed in women, 1 in 8 of them will develop the sickness in their lifetime. This risk nearly doubles if there is a history of breast cancer in one’s family. Even then, BreastCancer.org says that the chance of a woman getting breast cancer is still 85% without inheriting it from genetics.
While there’s not a fully preventable solution for cancer, there are ways to minimize the risk and detect it early on. These include practicing a healthy lifestyle, having knowledge of your family’s medical history, getting annual mammograms beginning at age 40, and knowing the warning signs such as lumps or rashes on or around your breast area.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month people can wear pink to honor those battling the disease, the survivors, and those who lost. The pink ribbon acts as a symbol of hope and evokes solidarity with patients. Other shades and hues are also used to represent other forms of the disease, including hot pink for inflammatory breast cancer, teal and pink for hereditary and gynecologic cancers, pink and blue for male breast cancer, and teal, pink, and green for metastatic breast cancer
There are numerous charities one can donate to that fight against cancer and raise awareness for it. The National Breast Cancer Foundation, BreastCancer.org, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, American Cancer Society, and the Young Survival Coalition are some examples of charities that conduct research, support patients both emotionally and financially, and educate all on the topic of cancer.
Being educated on cancer can be lifesaving as it is a global health issue. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a chance for all to take time to educate ourselves and acknowledge the lives that are affected by the disease.