By Lornna Bates
Managing Editor
When a person thinks of October, the topic of breast cancer probably does not register immediately. Halloween is synonymous with October as should be breast cancer.
October is the official month for Breast Cancer Awareness, after all, and has been recognized as such since October of 1985, said Nellie Day, eHow contributor.
The American Academy of Family Physicians and Cancer Care joined forces in 1985 to show the importance of regular mammogram screenings and to encourage the government and private sectors of healthcare to make screenings more easily available to women, said Day.
It is vital for women to participate in annual mammogram screenings, especially from the age of 40, said the Breast Cancer Network of Strength website.
According to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, the statistics concerning occurrences of breast cancer in the United States are indicative of the necessity of regular screenings.
ACS and NCI estimated that 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year. It is also estimated that 39,520 women will die from breast cancer this year.
ACS also noted that 57,650 new cases of carcinoma in situ would be discovered this year, which is a non-invasive form of breast cancer, discovered in its earliest form in the specific location of the breast and confined to just that area, such to a breast duct.
Women are not the only people at risk however. ACS and NCI estimated that in this year about 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men and about 450 men will die from breast cancer.
The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer at some point in her lifetime is a little less than 1 in 8 and her chance of dying from the cancer is about 1 in 35, said ACS. At the moment, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
On the other hand, breast cancer is about 100 times less common among men than among women, said ACS. The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer for a man is about 1 in 1,000, said ACS.
The reasons behind the development of cancer are still uncertain. DNA changes occur within the breast cells which cause cancer cells to form, said ACS. The reasons for the DNA changes are unknown.
There are several risk factors associated to breast cancer, factors that could make a person more prone than others. Having one or even multiple risk factors does not necessarily mean that a person will develop breast cancer either, said ACS.
ACS also noted that people will experience many different risk factors at different points in their lifetimes, so the percentage of risk experienced by a person will never be certain.
Unfortunately, some of these risk factors are unavoidable.
Gender is a huge risk factor, as women are at a much higher risk of developing breast cancer than men.
Age is another risk factor that is unavoidable. As a woman ages, her chances increase, said ACS. About two out of three women with invasive breast cancer are 55 years of age or older.
There are inherited gene changes which may signify breast cancer risk. Family history of breast cancer, which goes hand-in-hand with inherited genes, also increases the risk by almost double from even one side of the family, said ACS.
Other factors which are unavoidable include a personal history of breast cancer, which will increase the chances of developing breast cancer in the other breast; race, as white women are slightly more at risk; and dense breast tissue or pre-existing benign breast problems. Those with menstrual cycles beginning early or ending after 55 and previous radiation treatment which may have affected the chest area are also in high risk categories, said ACS.
Lifestyle habits which have been linked to breast cancer have also been noted by ACS. These include: not having children or having them later in life, use of birth control pills, use of hormone therapy after menopause, not breast-feeding, use of alcohol, being overweight or obese and a lack of exercise.
There are also risk factors that have not been proven and/or are not certain as of yet by the ACS. These include: diet and vitamin intake, use of antiperspirants and bras, induced abortions, breast implants, pollution, tobacco smoke and working at night.
These factors are important, although they are not proven factors, they are closely associated with causing cancer, according to ACS.
The risks can be minimized by the incorporation of better lifestyle habits. However there is not a proven way to prevent breast cancer.
The key word is “minimize.” Choosing to avoid the risk factors that can be controlled will lower the chances of breast cancer occurring.
Regular screenings are also a sort of preventative measure, as they will ensure discovery in an earlier stage, minimizing the stage of cancer that is detected.
New and innovative treatments are being discovered and utilized every day. For more information on breast cancer awareness or for opportunities available to donate for the cure, visit the following sites:www.cancer.org, ww5.komen.org, www.relayforlife.org, nbcam.org, www.networkofstrength.org, www.cancer.gov and/or www.cancercare.org.