Senior Alternatives

Care Management and Home Care Services
Think Pink! October is Breast Cancer Awareness

October 11, 2019

When we hear the word cancer, often times it elicits fear, despair, and panic. Among women, breast cancer elicits such feelings and understandably so. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in the United States. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes. 252,000 women in the United States will get cancer annually and yes, men get breast cancer too at 2,670 annually. Great news on the horizon. There are over 33 million survivors in the US today AND 30-50% of all cancers are preventable.

Death rates from breast cancer have seen a decrease since 1990. Reasons include:

*Early detection
*Self- breast exam
*Clinical breast exam
*Mammography’s
*Healthier lifestyle (maintain healthy weight, stay active, eat fruits and vegetables, limit alcohol intake and last but not least, don’t smoke)
Possible signs of breast cancer in both men and women are:

* Painless lump or thickening
* Changes like dimpling, puckering, redness and scaly skin
* Discharge from the nipple

Senior Alternatives honors those who are currently battling breast cancer and those who have died. Warriors, all of them! The best way to honor ourselves and loved ones is to live healthy lifestyles and take advantage of all that is available to us preventatively.

Sources:
National Breast Cancer Foundation (Nationalbreastcancer.org/breastcancerfacts)
World Health Organization (who.intel/en)
The Mayo Clinic(mayoclinic.org/breast)

For more information contact The American Cancer Society at cancer.org or the Cancer Helpline at 800-227-2345.

The best way to honor ourselves and loved ones is to live healthy lifestyles and take advantage of all that is available to us preventatively.

Related Articles