Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point. Here are some sobering facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC:
- each year in the U.S., more than 200,000 women get breast cancer and more than 40,000 women die from the disease
- men also get breast cancer, but it is not very common – less than 1% of breast cancers occur in men
- most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women
- about 11% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age
The good news is that many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early. A mammogram – the screening test for breast cancer – can help find breast cancer early when it’s easier to treat.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a chance to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. And you can make a difference by spreading the word about early detection and screening. Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Ask healthcare professionals to speak to women about the importance of getting screened for breast cancer
- Encourage your family and friends ages 40 to 49 to talk with their doctors about when to start getting mammograms
- Organize an event to talk with women ages 50 to 74 in your community about getting mammograms
If you are told you need a Breast MRI Exam, please visit this page on our website to learn all about when, why, and how MRI of the Breast may be the imaging exam of choice if mammography is inconclusive.