It is October, which means we will begin to see pink pop up just about everywhere. From clothing to stuffed animals, to license plates and umbrellas, there is no limit to the variety of things that will don the special color, especially throughout this month.

In recent years, pink has become much more than a color. It has become a symbol of hope and unity for the thousands of women and their loved ones who have been impacted by breast cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so it is a time when we will start to hear and see much more about the vast impact this disease has had on people, including many in our own community.

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

Although rare, men get breast cancer too. The lifetime risk for U.S. men is about 1 in 1,000. An estimated 2,670 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States and approximately 500 will die.

In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. as well as 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

This year, an estimated 41,760 women will die from breast cancer in the U.S.

However, death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, in part due to better screening and early detection, increased awareness, and continually improving treatment options.

There are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

While you can’t prevent cancer, it is important to be proactive about your health.

There are several risk factors to breast cancer that people should be aware of, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation:

— Gender:  Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men.

— Age:  Two out of three women with invasive cancer are diagnosed after age 55.

— Race:  Breast cancer is diagnosed more often in caucasian women than women of other races.

— Family History and Genetic Factors:  If your mother, sister, father or child has been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, you have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. Your risk increases if your relative was diagnosed before the age of 50.  

— Personal Health History:  If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the other breast in the future. Also, your risk increases if abnormal breast cells have been detected before (such as atypical hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)).

— Menstrual and Reproductive History:  Early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after 55), having your first child at an older age, or never having given birth can also increase your risk for breast cancer.

— Certain Genome Changes:  Mutations in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, can increase your risk for breast cancer. This is determined through a genetic test, which you may consider taking if you have a family history of breast cancer. Individuals with these gene mutations can pass the gene mutation onto their children.

— Dense Breast Tissue:  Having dense breast tissue can increase your risk for breast cancer and make lumps harder to detect. Several states have passed laws requiring physicians to disclose to women if their mammogram indicates they have dense breasts so they are aware of this risk. Be sure to ask your physician if you have dense breasts and what the implications of having dense breasts are.

One of the best ways to prevent death related to breast cancer is early detection. That can be done through self examinations, which should be done at least monthly. These can be done in the shower, while you are changing  your clothing or any time you are able to feel for any changes in your breast tissue.

Signs of breast cancer can include nipple tenderness or a lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm area; a change in the skin texture or enlargement of pores in the skin of the breast; a lump in the breast; unexplained swelling; change in size or shape of the breast; Skin of the breast, areola, or nipple that becomes scaly, red, or swollen or may have ridges or pitting resembling the skin of an orange; nipple discharge.

If you notice anything concerning about your breast, including those mentioned above or something else, contact your health care provider.

Early detection is the best tool in the fight against breast cancer.

You can also screen for breast cancer by having regular mammograms after the age 40, or early if you have one of the genetic risk factors mentioned previously.

Mammograms are X-rays of the breast that can detect lumps or masses that could be cancerous. Women 40 and older should have mammograms every one or two years.

Even women who have no symptoms and no known risks for breast cancer should have regularly scheduled mammograms to help detect potential breast cancer at the earliest possible time.

Take this month as an opportunity to schedule your regular mammogram, or encourage someone you know to have their mammogram done.