- September 28, 2022
When is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast cancer is the leading cancer worldwide and has caused countless deaths in the United States alone. Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is observed every October, aims to increase public understanding of the effects of breast cancer.
Although many women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage and will get treated, many will still go on to have a metastatic relapse. Treatments are less likely to be effective at this point, and women are more likely to be taken by the illness.
We should start concentrating our efforts on assisting those who have advanced breast cancer because of this. Beyond purchasing pink T-shirts, and ribbons or advising women to be examined, we need to put more effort into getting every woman armed and informed.
What is Breast Cancer Awareness
Through proper education on symptoms and treatment, breast cancer awareness aims to reduce the stigma of breast cancer and raise awareness of it. This advocacy is a global effort. Supporters of the cause believe that proper knowledge can lead to early breast cancer detection. Doing so will ultimately help with higher survival rates in the long term. Apart from awareness, supporters also try to raise money which will go towards research on finding a permanent cure for the disease.
The fact is that most Americans over the age of 6 are probably already aware of breast cancer as a result of the efforts undertaken over the past 40 years.
Why is October Breast Cancer Awareness Month
In October 1985, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) was founded as a partnership between the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries and the American Cancer Society. It aims to promote the fight against breast cancer with its most effective weapon, mammography.
Since then, breast cancer awareness month has been celebrated every October. Supporters spread awareness and information about breast cancer in hopes of arming everyone with the right knowledge to fight against it. Breast cancer awareness month is also represented by the pink ribbon. Expect to see a lot of pink during the month of October.
Why Do We Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast cancer awareness has been celebrated mainly to raise awareness of the disease. In the United States alone, it is estimated that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. This is why awareness, proper knowledge, and early prevention are so important. Since 1990, death rates from breast cancer have seen a substantial decline. This is partly due to the awareness of the disease, the opportunity to do better screening for early detection, and the continued improvement of treatment options.
Much is unknown as to why breast cancer is so prevalent worldwide. But we do know what important risk factors to look at. Breast cancer awareness aims to inform everyone of these risk factors in hopes of reducing the risk of getting the disease.
What To Do For Breast Cancer Awareness Month
There are a lot of things you can do in support of breast cancer awareness month. Remember that the main goal of this advocacy is to spread awareness of our most effective weapon against this disease: the mammogram. The significance of getting routine mammograms is highlighted by the possibility that these pictures can detect breast cancer up to three years before you feel it in your breast tissue.
Apart from spreading the word, you can help by donating to a charity supporting the same cause. You can also coordinate with these agencies if you want to help out in driving cancer patients to chemo centers. A lot can be done, and no good deed is too small.
Breast cancer is a serious disease that has claimed and will still be claiming lives. As of now, there is no permanent cure for this disease. But with your support, we can help those suffering from breast cancer and even help prevent it from happening through early detection.
About Author
Naz Kleiman is a ANCC board-certified Nurse Practitioner with over 13 years of nursing experience in trauma nursing, primary care, women’s health, urgent care, workmen’s comp, allergy testing and family medicine. She graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Walden University with Master of Science in Nursing.