This month, October, is breast cancer awareness month, with many events taking place, from awareness days to sporting galas. Big or small, the events will raise awareness of what only 20 years ago was spoken about only in hushed tones, when many women were too ashamed or embarassed or just plain unaware of how important it was to get any signs of possible breast cancer checked out sooner rather than later.
Two of skateboarding’s biggest female names will be in Denver on the 12th of October for what has been termed a one-of-a-kind women’s action sports event and fashion show by Core Action Sports. Cara-Beth (CB) Burnside and Mimi Knoop (Mimi) are expected to be welcomed by a crowd of 1,000 fans and enthusiasts.
As well as a skateboarding exhibition, the day will also feature a “runway fashion show”, live music, athlete appearances, and a silent auction in aid of breast cancer awareness.
Even the cell phone industry is getting on board, with pink cell phones on offer by one phone company promising to donate part of the price tag to breast cancer research.
In another innovative campaign, a bridal wear magazine has enrolled some of the fashion industry’s biggest names to design pink wedding gowns in aid of a breast cancer charity. The gown will be sold in salons throughout the US and 10 per cent of the sales will go to the breast cancer charity.
However while all this is going on, it is important that we do not forget what it is all about: raising awareness.
And it is easy to get lost in a sea of data in the process. So to help our readers who want to get to grips with some basic facts and figures about breast cancer today, here are some essentials from the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Facts and Figures, 2007-2008 report.
Check it Out
Most lumps and changes that people find in their breasts (men can get breast cancer too) are benign; that is they won’t grow and kill them.
However, it is important, because of the smaller risk it could be breast cancer that will grow and kill them if they don’t do anything about it, people go to the doctor and get it checked out if they do find a lump in their breast.
Statistics
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women, skin cancer is the first.
1 in 4 women in America are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Men can get breast cancer too, but they are at much lower risk. However, they should still see their doctor if they find a lump or detect any change in the look and feel of their breast tissue or nipples.
The chances of getting breast cancer generally increase with age; over 90 per cent of new cases and death happen in women who are 40 and over.
In 2000-2004 half of the women in the US who were diagnosed with breast cancer were aged 61 and under and half were older.
White women are more likely to get breast cancer than African American women once they reach 40.
However, before the age of 40, African American women are more likely to get breast cancer, and regardless of age, they are more likely to die from it than white women.
Women of other racial and ethnic groups are less likely to have and die from breast cancer than either white or African American women.
Facts
Breast tissue is made up of glands for producing milk (called lobules) that are connected to the nipples via ducts.
The rest of breast tissue is fatty (used to store energy), connective (holds the tissue together) and lymphatic (used by the immune system) tissue.
Breast cancer can occur in any type of tissue where cells start to grow out of control, eventually forming a lump called a tumour.
Some breast cancers can be “in situ”, that is confined to a small area inside the breast, for instance “ductal carcinoma in situ” means the cancer is inside one or more of the milk ducts that connects the glands to the nipple, or “lobular carcinoma in situ” means the cancer is inside one or more of the milk glands.
The chances of being cured are much higher with in situ breast cancers.
However most breast cancers are invasive, that is they do not confine themselves to a small area in the breast but break through to other areas and eventually spread throughout the body. The earlier it is detected, the greater the chance of surviving an invasive breast cancer.
Stages of Cancer Growth
There are two ways that doctors classify the stage of an invasive cancer.
The method most commonly used by clinicians is the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumour classification system based on tumour size (T), how many lymph nodes are affected (N) and whether it has metastased or spread to other organs (M). When these three features have been assessed, the cancer is given a stage classification: stage I, stage II, stage III and stage IV. Stage IV is the most advanced stage.
Another system that is easier to understand but does not give precise information on the three characteristics is the SEER Summary Stage method that has three stages. Local-staged means the cancer is confined to the breast; Regional-stage means it has spread to lymph nodes and surrounding tissue; Distant- stage means it has spread to distant organs.
Written by: Catharine Paddock