Sunday, September 29, 2013

About National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

About National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. More than 40,000 succumb to the disease every year. The foundation notes, however, that if breast cancer is caught early, there is a 96 percent five-year survival rate, making education, awareness and preventative screenings crucial. To further prevention, treatment and education, October has been named Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Goals

    Like many other causes and celebrations, breast cancer awareness is given an entire month in which to educate and inform not only breast cancer patients and their families, but also the general public and those who may be at a high risk for developing breast cancer. Education and awareness are at the core of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Fundraising

    Aside from educating those who may develop breast cancer at some point in their lives, Breast Cancer Awareness Month also publicizes fund-raising events that garner the attention of generous individuals and corporations. By dedicating a month to raising awareness about breast cancer, its dangers and how many people it affects, organizations such as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) can raise money for research, treatments and future awareness events. The most popular forms of breast cancer fund-raising events include runs/walks, silent auctions and bicycle races.

Pink Ribbons

    Pink ribbons are universally associated with breast cancer supporters. Throughout the month of October many individuals and companies find ways to promote the ribbon and its infamous color. Some hold bake sales that feature pink-colored treats. Others organize office-wide casual dress days for those who wear pink. Numerous companies also change the backgrounds of their websites to the color pink during October.

History

    Breast Cancer Awareness Month was created in October 1985 when the American Academy of Family Physicians teamed up with Cancer Care to publicize how essential it was for individuals to undergo mammogram screenings and how the government and private sector needed to do more to make these screenings available to everyone. To achieve their goal the two organizations distributed awareness flyers, appeared on the nightly news and testified before Congress. National Mammography Day was added to breast cancer awareness month in 1993. It is now held on the third Friday in October and is a day where many clinics and radiology departments offer free or discounted mammograms.

The Organization

    Though Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated in October, there is an organization of the same name whose goal is to educate women about breast cancer year-round. The organization brings together government, public service and medical officials to promote awareness, dispense information, publicize screenings and otherwise empower women to take their health into their own hands. In 2009 the organization, celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary.


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  • Breastcancer.org - Breast Cancer Information and Awareness

    www.breastcancer.org

    Breastcancer.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer.

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    www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

    Information about breast cancer treatment, prevention, genetics, causes, screening, clinical trials, research and statistics from the National Cancer Institute.

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Breast Cancer Fact Sheet

Breast Cancer Fact Sheet

According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer forms in the lobules and ducts within breast tissue. The National Cancer Institute expects 192,370 new female and 1,910 male breast cancer cases in 2009. The Illinois Department of Health has concluded that most new breast cancer cases occur among women over the age of 50 and that one out of eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life.

Symptoms

    All women should conduct a self breast exam at least once a month.

    According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of breast cancer include lumps in the breast, blood discharge from a nipple, size or shape changes to the breast, skin changes such as dimpling on the breast, inverted nipples and redness of the breasts. Women should do a self breast exam at least once a month to see if they feel any lumps.

Treatment

    Above is an image of a patient getting ready for radiation treatment.

    According to the National Cancer Institute, there are four different treatment methods for breast cancer: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Many patients undergo therapy that involves a combination of these treatments. The majority of breast cancer patients choose therapy that includes surgery. Radiation treatment involves exposing cancer cells to high-energy x-rays and radiation to stop them from growing or kill them entirely. Hormone therapy involves preventing the production of hormones such as estrogen and tamoxifen that have been known to cause cancer. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells by killing them or preventing them from dividing. Chemotherapy can be extremely difficult on cancer patients, but is sometimes necessary for their survival.

Deaths

    Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.

    According to the Breast Cancer Research Program, mammography screening has resulted in a decline in breast cancer mortality rates in the 1990s. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results has determined that breast cancer mortality rates per 100,000 women by race were 23.9 for whites, 33.0 for blacks, 12.4 for Asians\Pacific Islanders, 17.6 for Alaskan\Native Indians, 15.5 for Hispanics, and 24.5 for all women between 2002 and 2006. The American Cancer Society predicts that 40,170 women will die from breast cancer in 2009. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women, right behind lung cancer.

Risk Factors

    Drinking alcohol increases the risk for breast cancer.

    According to the American Cancer Society, risk factors for breast cancer include older age; being female; genetic inheritance; family history of breast cancer or prior history of breast cancer; dense breast tissue; early menstrual cycles; exposure to radiation, diethylstilbestrol, PCBs; waiting to have children; using postmenopausal hormone therapy; not breastfeeding; drinking; obesity; lack of exercise; high-fat diets; induced abortion; and white race.

Cases

    Thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

    Breast cancer cases by race per 100,000 women were 88.3 for Hispanics, 74.4 for Alaskan\Native Indians, 89.5 for Asians\Pacific Islanders, 117.7 for blacks, 127.8 for whites, and 123.8 for all women between 2002 and 2006.

Funding

    The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has raised several million dollars for breast cancer research.

    The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder and is the leading non-profit organization for breast cancer funding and research. Since its inception, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation has raised $237 million for breast cancer research.



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