Discover How Breast Cancer Awareness Can Benefit You

You have undoubted run across many of the breast cancer awareness days and sessions that appear around the country sporadically. These are usually put on by a local group, a church, or sponsored by the American Cancer Society to promote breast cancer awareness in the community.

You might be wondering why your breast cancer awareness level should be raised and what benefit that represents for you, but all you need to do is look at the statistics about the reported cases of breast cancer. The reported cases of breast cancer has been rising steadily year after year, and for the coming year, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 200,000 diagnosed cases. Even scarier is that they also estimate that more than 40,000 of those cases of breast cancer will die from it.

Here is an even scarier fact for you -- did you know that breast cancer is not limited to women? Yes it is true. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 1600 cases of breast cancer in MEN this year, and that about 400 of them will die. So are you starting to see where breast cancer awareness is starting to be important to you and your health? With statistics like this, it is no wonder that they want to promote breast cancer awareness as much as possible.

Many people do not take this disease seriously, even despite these statistics. Although it is difficult to believe, there are many people who have not had a checkup or medical exam in the past 4, 5, or 10 years or more. How can you possibly take your health seriously if you do not have regular checkups and exams from your doctor or medical professional? One way is of course to raise your breast cancer awareness level since that is a disease where there is currently not a known cure.

Your best option for fighting breast cancer is to get early detection and early diagnosis. When breast cancer is detected early, your chances of being able to cope with it, to fight it, and via treatments like chemo, there are many documented cases of people who have beat it. But if it had not been detected and diagnosed early, those would almost certainly be different stories with radically different outcomes. What about those people who have not had a medical examination in the past 4 or 5 years? If they have developed breast cancer in that timeframe, it will certainly not be considered an early diagnosis and could even mean another fatality from breast cancer.

You need to become knowledgeable about the typical symptoms of breast cancer, and if you detect any of those symptoms at home, you should schedule a checkup with your doctor as soon as possible. For women of ages 18 to about 40, you should plan to schedule a checkup with your doctor once about every 2-3 years. For women over 40, that checkup should be not less than annually. Although breast cancer has not conclusively been determined to be hereditary, you might want to consider having checkups even more often is there is a history of cancer in your family tree. Keeping these statistics in mind, your level of breast cancer awareness should be raised where these regular checkups should be at the forefront of your mind.

Raise your breast cancer awareness levels and get those checkups. Be aware of the symptoms and if you see any of them, be sure to get an exam soon. Remember, the best chances for beating breast cancer are early detection and early diagnosis.

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Breast Cancer in Women - Know the Facts

Breast cancer should be a major concern for all women today since it is the single most common type of cancer in women. There is about a 15% chance of developing breast cancer by the age of 90 if you are a woman and have a full, healthy lifestyle. This percentage may not sound like a lot, but it is one of the highest as far as cancer risks go. You can lower this risk by having a breast cancer test frequently.

Have a Basic Mammogram Regularly

The basic mammogram is the most effective test available even though it can be very uncomfortable for some women. During the time of your test, keep thinking, “This may save my life.” It will help you get through it.

You do not want to wait for symptoms to develop before getting your mammogram, as symptoms don’t usually become clear until the cancer is already in its later stages of growth.

Usually, if the cancer has hit the later stages it is more difficult to treat and more likely has spread to other parts of the body. You may feel like a mammogram is too unpleasant, but terminal cancer is without a doubt worse than the test. Please make the breast cancer test part of your annual check-up.

Self-Examination for Breast Cancer

Also, as soon as you reach the puberty age, it is a good idea to carry out your own breast cancer test, which you can do on a regular basis in the privacy of your own home. A pamphlet describing how this should be done can be picked up at your local doctor’s office or health department. Most breast cancer occurs in women over 40, but there are several cases found in young teen girls each year.

Cancer does not have a certain age or time when it occurs. You just need to check yourself regularly for any lumps or other unusual occurrences. If any are found, go to your doctor immediately.

Breast Cancer Risks

Your chances of developing breast cancer are slightly higher if there is a history of such cancer in your family. So, if you don’t have anyone in your immediate family that has had breast cancer, this is very good news. But unfortunately, many families do have a history. With or without a family history, you still should have regular checkups.

Most people do not realize that there is a 1% occurrence of breast cancer in men. But there are still many more men that are never diagnosed with breast cancer, but they do have it.

Keep up with your self-examination and your regular mammogram since your chances of survival are much greater if the cancer is found early.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM)

Also, remember that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) and is observed all over the world thanks to National Breast Cancer Foundation. Breast cancer month has been extremely successful in making more women aware of the signs of breast cancer. More women than ever are now getting their annual mammogram, and this has contributed to a greater survival rate for cancer patients.

Many women have lost their lives to this devastating disease, and this is the main reason why efforts must be continued to teach all women young and old about breast cancer and the risk factors.

Be a true friend or family member and help educate your loved ones about breast cancer and early detection. You may save their lives.

Jean Pardue is a freelance content writer and can be contacted at speed-writer@hotmail.com.

She works with her husband, Bob Pardue, who is a stock female lifestyle and fashion photographer. http://www.parduephotos.com