I know that you probably have been and will continue to be bombarded with breast cancer awareness things, especially this month, but it's important to listen to all of the hype. I know we hear about this every year but I just wanted to take a min and tell you some pretty scary statistics about this horrible disease.
- About 1 in 8 U.S. women (just under 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
- In 2013, an estimated 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 64,640 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
- About 2,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2013. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
- Breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. began decreasing in the year 2000, after increasing for the previous two decades. They dropped by 7% from 2002 to 2003 alone. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
- About 39,620 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2013 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1989 — with larger decreases in women under 50. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
- For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
- Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30% of cancers in women are breast cancers.
- White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than African-American women. However, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women. Overall, African-American women are more likely to die of breast cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.
- In 2013, there were more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
- A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
- About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with a BRCA1 mutation have a 55-65% risk of developing breast cancer before age 70, and often at a younger age that it typically develops. For women with a BRCA2 mutation, this risk is 45%. An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, BRCA2 mutations are associated with a lifetime breast cancer risk of about 6%; BRCA1 mutations are a less frequent cause of breast cancer in men.
- About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
- The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).
All statistics were taken from http://www.breastcancer.org
Other than the fact that I am in love with being forced to see pink EVERYTHING when I go to the store, I try to do whatever, whenever to support the cause, and not just in October. This is a 24/7/365 disease. It doesn't sleep or take breaks. It constantly fights to destroy your body from the inside out. We need to constantly fight to find a cure ASAP! We are losing to many daughters, sisters and mothers every day to ignore it. In my personal opinion, with 1 in every 8 women being diagnosed, it's a good idea to look at donations as investments in your future. Rather it's you or someone you love, you will probably end up knowing someone diagnosed with breast cancer. We all know at least 8 women, do the math...
I will be writing a post on both beauty products (under the beauty products tab) and household products (under the household products tab) that support breast cancer research by giving full or partial earnings from each product they sell. These won't neccisalry be reviews but they will be small ways to help support the cause!!
As always if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me or comment below!!
Stay beautiful,
Emily