Breast cancer is one of the most serious conditions affecting women around the world. Breast cancer is the second most prevalent form of cancer found in women behind skin cancer and roughly one out of every eight American women born today will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Because of this, getting tested regularly is incredibly important, which is why October was designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was established as a way to spread awareness of breast cancer and to encourage women to get a mammogram, which is a screening test that can identify breast cancer. By identifying signs of breast cancer during the earlier stages of development, there is a much better chance of treating it.
So far, around 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer have been reported in 2015. Around 60,290 non-invasive cases have been reported as well. An estimated 40,290 women are expected to die in 2015 due to breast cancer. However, the death rate caused by breast cancer has been dropping steadily since 1989. This is due in part to efforts to spread awareness about breast cancer and to encourage women to get tested early. Earlier detection allows for more effective treatment.
Because one of the risk factors of breast cancer is aging, women between the ages of 40 and 49 should speak with their doctors about when they should get a mammogram. Women between the ages of 50 and 74 should begin getting mammograms every two years. Women that have had a first-degree relative, such as a sister or mother, diagnosed with breast cancer are twice as at risk to develop breast cancer. In fact, less than 15 percent of women who have breast cancer have had a family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Because it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we encourage all women to speak with their doctors about receiving a mammogram and we encourage everyone to speak with the women in their families about breast cancer. For more information, contact us at The Benefits Store today.