For the past 25 years, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) has continued to grow in recognition, respect and reputation. From the beginning, its purpose has been to educate and encourage women to be aware of the importance of early detection and yearly mammograms, offer information and support for those affected by breast cancer and raise funds for research towards prevention, cause and a cure.
Over the next few weeks, people around the world will join together in honor of those who have survived and those who have not. Survivors, partners, friends and families will walk, run, ride, swim, bowl, fast and feed for fundraising events and procure revenues in the millions. We will decorate our universe, as well as ourselves, in various shades of pink and give thanks to daily breaths. Due to the success of these campaigns we have the ability to diagnose and treat breast cancer with less pain and more hope.
The cause of breast cancer can be genetic or environmental. Genetics contribute to approximately ten percent of breast cancer patients. This means a person who is born with a particular gene line, BRCA1 mutation, is high risk for breast, ovarian, skin, prostate and pancreas cancer. Although the exact risk of breast and ovarian cancer granted by a specific gene mutation has not been determined, studies in high-risk families indicate that deleterious mutations in this gene may confer as much as an eighty seven percent risk of breast cancer and a forty four percent risk of ovarian cancer by the age of seventy, in women. This mutation has also been reported to have a twenty percent chance of a second breast cancer within five years, as well as a ten-fold increase in the risk of subsequent ovarian cancer. The mutation may also present an increased risk of male breast cancer, along with several other cancers; skin, prostate and pancreas. Each first degree relative of this individual has a fifty percent chance of carrying the mutation. Family members can be tested with a simple blood test. Those who test positive can take measures into their own hands and beat the cancer before it beats them by undergoing surgery. Most insurance companies will cover preventive measures, as it can significantly reduce the risk of future treatment. In a sense, the individual, who is diagnosed with genetic breast cancer, has the power to save their family from ever being diagnosed with cancer, at all. Continue reading ‘The Pink Platform’ »