Breast Cancer Awareness Month

‘Each October, people across the country unite to raise awareness and support for the millions of people affected by breast cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) reminds us that awareness is important—but it’s our actions that save lives.’

1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, 382,640 women will be diagnosed this year, 1048 will be diagnosed today and we will lose 5 women this hour to breast cancer.

- National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc.

Breast cancer is identified as an out of control cell growth in the breast. These growths can cause tumors, spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body if gone untreated. The best chance for recovery is catching it early. When caught in its earliest stages, survival rate can be over 99%. Breast cancer is largely influenced by an array of factors like age, genetics, family history, breast density, hormone exposure, and lifestyle. Anyone can get breast cancer. Although breast cancer is most commonly found in women around 62 years old, it can also affect younger women, older women, and men. It is very likely you know someone with or who has been affected by breast cancer.

Due to the many different kinds of cells in the breast, different variations of cancer can develop. Because of the unique development of cancer cells, treatment is usually personalized to the individual and their specific case. Depending on the case, breast cancer treatments can look very different from one person to the next, but can be divided into two main umbrella categories, local treatments and systemic treatments. Local treatments include surgery and radiation therapy to target the specific area or cancer site. Systemic treatments travel through the bloodstream in order to target and attack the cancer. Many individuals with breast cancer receive a combination of both treatments in order to gain recovery. Recovery for breast cancer is way easier said than done. Not only is treatment expensive, it has many side effects that can be hard on the body and cause emotional turmoil and distress, but on top of it all, it can come back.

The burdening weight of this illness has the ability to take away so much from a person, so it’s important to stay educated and supportive. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. website has a vast amount of information available to those looking to expand their knowledge on this subject!