In the United States, one out of eight women is at risk of developing breast cancer. Hundreds of thousands of women will lose their lives each year to this dreaded disease. If caught early enough, the disease can be treated, or, if discovered too late, the woman may be forced to undergo a mastectomy to save her life. The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. Pink ribbons, and the color pink in general, identify the wearer or promoter with the breast cancer brand and express moral support for women with breast cancer. Denton County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson came over for an interview to remind our viewers about the danger of breast cancer.
The following info is from the National Foundation for Cancer Research: www.nfcr.org and www.nfcr.org/cancer-types/breast-cancer
“One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. In fact, other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer amongst women in the country. Unfortunately, the two most significant risks for developing breast cancer are factors that cannot be controlled: gender and age. However, in recent years, many studies have been published suggesting other controllable risk factors. Some of these studies have strong evidence to support the claims, while others are simply misleading.
“As October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is time to debunk some of the recent myths and discover which factors actually increase the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year. Although it’s rare, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer. With breast cancer continuing to impact so many people, it’s important to understand the disease and what strides researchers are making.”
- More than 3.1 million breast cancer survivors live in the U.S. today.
- The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer in the U.S. is about 1 in 8 for women and 1 in 1,000 for men.
- Research shows only 5-10% of breast cancers are hereditary.
- Dense breasts can be six times more likely to develop cancer. If you have dense breasts, ask your doctor about extra screening tests, like ultrasound or MRI, to check for tumors that a mammography might have missed.
- A lump isn’t the only sign of breast cancer. Call your doctor if you notice a change in the size or shape of your breast, a nipple turned inward, fluid other than breast milk, dimples in your breast or scaly, red or swollen skin on your breast, nipple or areola.
Source: American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2019.
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