You may have noticed the pink in this month, and not just because we like the color. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink has been the chosen color to represent since 1991. Every Thursday in the month of October our team members here at Perelmuter & Goldberg Orthodontics could help raise awareness by incorporating pink into their wardrobe!
Another way we want to help raise awareness is by sharing very important facts provided by the American Cancer Society.
About 1 in 8 U.S. women (12%) will develop invasive* breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
In 2016, an estimated 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, along with 61,000 new cases of non-invasive** breast cancer.
As of , there were more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This figure includes women currently being treated and women who have finished .
A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
*Invasive cancers do grow into normal, healthy tissues. Most breast cancers are invasive.
**Non-invasive cancers stay within the milk ducts or lobules in the breast. They do not grow into or invade normal tissues within or beyond the breast.
Mammograms and self-exams can help detect the early stages of breast cancer and hopefully further prevent it from growing.