Taking a Statistical Look at Breast Cancer

As many of our readers know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month across the United States. With the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer found in women. The healthcare providers at Abraham Family Medicine urge our patients to be aware of their breast cancer risk and take a proactive approach to maintain their health as the years go on. This means keeping up with annual breast cancer screenings and performing regular breast self-exams. To help put the prevalence of this illness into perspective, we have compiled recent breast cancer statistics from experts in the field. All statistics are provided by the American Cancer Society and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

• Roughly 13% of all women in the US (or about 1 in every 8) will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
• Over 281,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year.
• An additional 2,650 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men, although the risk for men is considerably lower.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, behind only lung cancer.
• As of January of this year, there were more than 3.8 million women with a history of breast cancer living in the US, including those currently being treated and those who have completed their treatment.
• Breast cancer rates are highest for women between the ages of 60-84.
• A woman’s risk of developing breast cancer nearly doubles in cases where she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has previously been diagnosed.

Understanding your potential risk is a powerful tool in the fight against breast cancer. Women can potentially lower their breast cancer risk by living a healthy lifestyle including a nutritious diet, regular daily exercise, and avoiding alcohol.

While it may not be possible to prevent breast cancer, making sure that it is detected in a timely manner is incredibly important. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Abraham Family Medicine today. We offer a wide variety of general healthcare services for people of all ages at our Snellville office, located very close to Grayson, Dacula, Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Lithonia, Loganville and Stone Mountain.