Breast Cancer Awareness is more than just a Month

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment saves lives. One in eight women will get breast cancer in the next year. In 2010 - 207,090+ new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed. 54,010+ of non-invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed. 39,840+ women will die from breast cancer. Those can be scary and intimidating statistics. It only means that we need to fight harder and more effectively. Early detection can mean the difference between living a long and healthy life and not. Breast cancer awareness is an ongoing process and can not be contained in one month. God Bless Nancy Komen and her love for her sister Susan. Her foundation has donated over one billion dollars to cancer research in search of a cure. You can see pink ribbons on everything from tee-shirts to yogurt to yarn. She has simplified a means to donate to a very worthy cause. Remember: Early detection, early diagnosis and treatment!

Screening:

- 40+ Mammograms

- 20-30 year olds should have annual clinical exams performed by a professional

- 20+ should be performing regular self exams, monitored by a professional at least once to assure it is being done correctly

Signs and Symptoms:

- Swelling - Breast Pain

- Skin irritation - Nipple pain

- Skin dimpling - Nipple turns inward

- Redness or scaliness or thickening of the nipples or the breasts

- Discharge other than breast milk

There are so many simple and easy ways to contribute to the fight against breast cancer and to help find the cure. If you eat yogurt buy the ones with the pink lids and mail them in. Here is a list of ways you can participate:

Please click daily on this site to give women access to free mammograms:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

Purina Cat Chow on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/purinacatchow?DCMP=KNC-CC-Goog-2010-CC&HBX_PK=breast+cancer+walk+new+yorkHBX_OU=50

BJ's and P&G

http://www.bjsforpink.com/?gclid=CO_GmY6S7qQCFWJo5Qodb1pO0Q

Avon http://www.avonwalk.org/new-york/

Gillette will pay $1 for every like on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/gillettevenus?ref=ts&gclid=CKGKmOKS7qQCFeh25QodFzKd2g

There are many avenues to contribute to the fight. If you can participate in a walk, fundraiser or other event please do. If you can't walk then feel free to volunteer. Volunteers are needed all year round and they welcome you and whatever limited time frame you may have to offer. Don't feel like it's only a dollar or just a few lids. The lids campaign has contributed over a million dollars to the cause. The pink products that support the Komen fund have contributed over a billion dollars towards the research that is focused on finding a cure.

It was once believed that a woman with a family history of breast cancer was just as likely to get breast cancer as a women who did not have one. More up to date studies show that if a woman has a level one connection to someone diagnosed with breast cancer (ie: mother, sister or daughter) her chance of being diagnosed doubles. If she has a level one and a level two connection (ie: grandmother, aunt, sibling) her chances triple. They have found a gene that can predict if you are genetically predisposed to having breast cancer. Some women from some ethnic backgrounds have felt is necessary to know and act upon this information based on family history and health concerns. It diagnoses a pre-disposition but can not definitively state you will have breast cancer at some point.

The Sister Study is is an ongoing project studying sisters when one has had the diagnosis and the other has not. Since they have now isolated the gene that can say you are more likely to get breast cancer. Some very brave women have opted to have their breasts removed to avoid the possibility of getting breast cancer. That may seem extreme until you have seen someone unsuccessfully go through cancer treatment.

Men and children are also susceptible to breast cancer. Check back for an article specifically about men and breast cancer. Please note that males at the same stage of breast cancer as a women have the same prognosis for recovery after treatment.

Caucasian women have the highest rates for diagnosis but African American women are more likely to die once diagnosed. Certain environmental and systematic factors have to be challenged to reduce the number of black women dying from breast cancer. Black women are being diagnosed later in the illness. Late detection leads to cancers more difficult to treat. Black women have greater numbers of poor followup after abnormal readings.

Caucasian women are showing decreases in every state, Black women are not. Caucasian women are 5 times more likely to have taken medication and 3x more likely to have had chemo therapy. There seems to be differences in access to screening and treatment.

Contacts:

Please contact one of the following organizations for directions to assistance in obtaining screening, diagnosis and treatment:

American Cancer Society - www.cancer.org

Susan G Komen - http://ww5.komen.org/

National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

National Breast Cancer Foundation - http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

Please click daily on this site to give women access to free mammograms:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

Risk factors:

1. Being born female

2. 5-10% is genetic, having a family history doubles your chances of being diagnosed

3. 85% of women diagnosed have no family history of breast cancer

4. Race: Caucasian women are more likely to be diagnosed. African American women are more likely to die from faster growing, more aggressive tumors, and late detection.

5. Having dense breast tissue making detection of spots in the mammogram more difficult.

6. Women with a history of benign tumors

7. Women who have had breast cancer in the other breast.

8. Women who have longer cycles, due to beginning earlier (before 12) and stopping later (after 55). Black women often fit in to this category.

9. If a woman has had radiation to her chest earlier in life for another reason.

10. Not having children or having them at a later age.

11. Using birth control pills

12. Hormone treatments after menopause

13. Using alcohol. More than one glass a day.

14. Not exercising

15. Obesity.

Reduction:

Breastfeeding women and women who exercise regularly are shown to have reduced their risk factors.