Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2019
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to support breast cancer charities and raise awareness about a disease.
Dr. Sarita Jain
Sep 30, 2019
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Every year the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked all over the world in various countries across the world every October, helps to raise attention and support for the awareness, early diagnoses, and treatment as well as palliative care of this particular disease.
What Is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.
Facts about Breast Cancer in The United States
- In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. as well as 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
- 62% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage, for which the 5-year survival rate is 99%.
- This year, an estimated 41,760 women will die from breast cancer in the U.S.
- Although rare, men get breast cancer too. The lifetime risk for U.S. men is about 1 in 1,000.
- An estimated 2,670 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States and approximately 500 will die.
- Every 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers.
- There are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
- On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.
- Female breast cancer represents 15.2% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.
Five Reasons Why October Is The Pinkest Month
- Breast cancer doesn't discriminate
Although breast cancer is more prevalent among American white women, African-American women tend to die from the disease more often.
- Breast cancer can baffle scientists
Scientists don't really understand why the left breast seems to develop cancer more often than the right breast.
- Breast cancer surgery was a trailblazer
The very first operation to use anesthesia to deaden pain was a breast cancer surgery.
- Men get it, too
Overall, only one percent of American males are diagnosed with breast cancer, but African-American men just like women in their community, are more prone to die from the disease.
- Breast cancer—the nuns' disease
At one time, breast cancer was called "the nuns' disease" because it seemed to afflict more nuns than women in the general population.
Also Read - Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2019
How to Observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month
1. Share a story
2. Think pink
3. Raise some money
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