Legacy at Savannah Quarters
Newsletter

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a time for reflection on trends in breast cancer research, prevention, and treatment. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 310,720 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. Furthermore, about 42,250 will die of the disease.

Breast cancer is the most common type of non-skin cancer in women in the United States. Notably, it accounts for 30% of all new cancer cases in women. It is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in American women. About one woman in eight in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime—about 13% of all women.

Breast cancer occurs in many different forms. The most common form is ductal carcinoma, which begins in the cells of the ducts. Cancer that begins in the lobes or lobules is called lobular carcinoma. It is found in both breasts more often than other types of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type in which the breast is warm, red, and swollen.

Risk factors
Being female and older in age are the main risk factors for breast cancer. Others include exposure to estrogen made by the body; presence of dense breast tissue; early onset of menstruation; older age at first birth; the use of hormones for symptoms of menopause; smoking; obesity; and not getting enough exercise.

Hereditary breast cancer makes up 5% to 10% of all breast cancer diagnoses. Women who have mutations in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, can have a higher level of risk.

Breast cancer in men
Men can also get breast cancer. An estimated 2,790 men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, and about 530 will die of the disease. Radiation exposure, high levels of estrogen, and a family history of breast cancer can increase a man’s risk of the disease.

Early Detection
According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms. It is recommend to learn more about breast self examination to increase chances for early detection.

U.S. breast cancer statistics
People of every country, race, ethnic group, and income level are affected by breast cancer. In the U.S., the percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been slowly rising for the past couple of decades.

A woman in the U.S. today has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer over her lifetime and a 1 in 39 chance of dying from breast cancer.

Nearly 30% of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer later develop metastatic breast cancer.

U.S. men make up 1 of every 100 breast cancer diagnoses in the country.

There are about 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., including women receiving breast cancer treatment.

While the percentage of women dying from breast cancer has gone down in recent decades, Black women remain more likely to die from breast cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group.

Things to do this Breast Cancer Awareness Month 
If you know someone who is living with breast cancer or has been affected by the disease, check in with them to ask them how they’re doing.

Schedule your annual mammogram. Encourage your friends and family to do the same.

If you’d like to support breast cancer research and programs that support people living with breast cancer, consider donating directly to organizations that do this work.