(WXYZ) - October is breast cancer awareness month and the Karmanos Cancer Institute wants to stress the importance of screening and early detection.
Read the statistics below and if you need anymore more information on breast cancer services call 1-800-527-6266. You can also visit the Karmanos website at
www.karmanos.org SURVIVAL• The overall five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 98%. (Source: American Cancer Society)
• Currently, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors alive in the United States today.
DIAGNOSIS• In the United States, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes.
• One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
• In the United States, nearly 240,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 180,000 will be diagnosed with the most deadly type – invasive breast cancer.
• Except for skin cancers, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.
• Breast cancer accounts for more than 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed in women in the US.
• Men can develop breast cancer, but this disease is about 100 times more common among women than men. However, men are less likely to think they have breast cancer if they find a lump in their breast, causing them to be diagnosed late.
MICHIGAN STATS• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Michigan women. (michigancancer.org)
• An estimated 6,120 Michigan women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 1,310 women in the state will die from the disease. (American Cancer Society 2009)
RISK FACTORS• The most significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being a woman and getting older.
• Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease.
• White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are African American women; yet African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer.
DEATH RATES• Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer death among women.
• One woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States.
More than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year.
PROGRESS• Thanks to improvements in early detection and treatment, breast cancer deaths among all women have steadily declined since 1991.
• Many new drugs have been developed to help tailor treatment to the needs of individual patients. The use of “targeted therapies” has significantly improved the chance of long-term survival for people with some types of breast cancer.
• Screening (mammography) has led to earlier diagnosis and a greater chance for effective treatment for many women.
• Education has helped to raise awareness of breast cancer, the importance of screening and early detection, and the need for more research.
BCCCP• The Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (MI BCCCP) pays for life-saving cancer screening services and follow-up care, including cancer treatment if that should be needed, to eligible under insured and uninsured Michigan women.
PREVENTION• Timely screening mammograms could prevent 15 to 30 percent of all deaths from breast cancer in women over age 40.
• Clinical breast examinations should start at age 20.
• Early detection saves lives.
For more information on breast cancer screening and services, including the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) call 1-800 KARMANOS or go to
www.karmanos.org
