October is the month when the world brings more awareness to breast cancer. But for me, each month is a reminder of how breast cancer can affect those we love. On March 1, 2013 my mom had a double mastectomy after a biopsy showed early signs of cancer. Luckily my mom has her mammograms performed yearly and the cancer was caught so early that she did not need radiation or chemotherapy.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.
The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States this year are:
- About 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
- About 60,290 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
- About 39,620 women will die from breast cancer
