Know the Stats on Breast Cancer

Breast cancer affects everyone, whether you are a survivor, a caretaker or just part of the support network for someone battling the life-threatening disease. Breast cancer doesn’t care if you are a man or a woman, young or old, healthy or not – it affects everyone and anyone.

As Xulon Press celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness this October, we would like to provide our authors with some recognized facts about this deadly disease as well as statistics that will encourage everyone to get checked and stay healthy this fall.

The statistics and facts comes courtesy of the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) and the Florida Department of Health (www.doh.state.fl.us):

For the year of 2013, there are an estimated 232,340 new cases of breast cancer (invasive) diagnoses among women in the United States. With this group of women, 39,620 women are expected to pass away from this disease this year (ACS). Women are more susceptible to breast cancer, but men can be diagnosed with the cancer as well — about 2,240 men to be exact— according to American Cancer Society studies.

Family history is one factor that can indicate if you could get breast cancer. According to the Florida Department of Health website, 70-80 percent of breast cancer cases are found in women who have had an immediate family member with the disease (mother, sister, aunt). Women who also have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are also up to 80 percent more likely to get breast cancer.

Studies have shown that white women are diagnosed with breast cancer more than other races, but African-American women are more at risk of dying from the disease. Asian, Native American and Hispanic women have lower risks of developing breast cancer and dying from the disease (ACS). Also, if a woman has had previous radiation on her chest area at a younger age, she will be at risk for being diagnosed with breast cancer later on in her lifetime (ACS).

Early detection is key to survival as early diagnosis of breast cancer, which leads to more treatment at an earlier stage, has increased 25 percent in Florida women over the past two decades (FDOH). Records from the American Cancer Society show that today there are more than 2.8 million women in the United States who are breast cancer survivors. This number includes women who are in treatment and those who are presently done with treatment.

Some ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer are to maintain a healthy diet, stay physically active, avoid smoking and drink alcohol when possible and get annual exams by your local gynecologist. American Cancer Society experts recommend women age 40 and over get regular mammogram screenings.

This month, we will have special blog posts to reflect on this month of cancer awareness, including an interview with Xulon Press employee Gail Pelletier, a cancer survivor, and an insightful book from one of our treasured authors on how to create fashionable turbans for women in treatment. We cherish our cancer survivors, both locally and nationwide, and appreciate them for being the inspirations that they are.