JOHANNESBURG – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which enables people to grasp the seriousness of this condition while giving them the tools and information to be better informed.
From giving people tips on how to check for lumps, treatment options, prevention options as well as how you can help those who have already been diagnosed.
With that said, here are seven facts about breast cancer that you can arm yourself with in honour of breast cancer awareness month. 1. Men can also get breast cancer. About 2 150 are diagnosed annually – or about one in 1 000 men. 2. Most breast cancer – about 85 percent – occurs in women who have no family history of breast cancer. 3. A woman born today has about a one in eight chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute. 4. Women who are diagnosed with cancer before age 40 have a nearly 4.5-fold increased risk of developing another breast cancer. 5. The risk of overweight women developing breast cancer after menopause is 1.5 times higher than in lean women. Obese women are at twice the risk of lean women. 6. Younger women who smoke have a higher risk of breast cancer than their non-smoking peers. 7. If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, get a second opinion.
