It`s time to go pink. As you probably know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer next to skin cancer. One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, while 1 in 1000 men will also develop breast cancer. There is a new diagnosis every two minutes. Eighty-five percent of people diagnosed have no family history. Every 14 minutes a life is lost due to this disease. It is the leading cause of death in women aged 40-50. But the death rate has been decreasing since the 90`s while diagnosis has been increasing. In 2011 there were more than 2.6 million survivors in the U.S. thanks to early detection, improved treatment, and better awareness.
Breast cancer is thankfully being caught much earlier these days. This disease is usually curable if caught early while the tumor is small. The majority of new breast cancers do not spread and if treated immediately, the outlook is very good. Role models, such as actress, Angelina Jolie, who recently came out about having a double mastectomy to prevent the chance of breast cancer, which ran in her family, has given women more confidence to make difficult decisions to take steps such as this.
We should also be raising awareness about metastatic breast cancer, also known as Stage IV, or “advanced.” More than 155,000 Americans are living with this form of breast cancer which is when the disease has spread to other parts of the body, such as the bone, brain, liver, and lungs. Fortunately, there has been a 30% increase in survival rates thanks to better treatment. It used to be almost a death sentence when told you have this form of breast cancer. But, once again, being aware and catching it in time and having treatment has helped women continue living full and active lives.
So, let`s all go pink for October and continue raising awareness about breast cancer. This disease affects lives every day, but breast cancer is not a death sentence. We can all get involved and help save lives by spreading the word to stay aware.