There are many causes worth fighting for, but there are few more important than the fight against breast cancer. About one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lives. To put that in perspective, that means once every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Additionally, it is the most common form of cancer in women while also being the second leading cause of death for women. Breast cancer also affects men – with it affecting 2,600 men every year – though it is much rarer.
But piercing through all this gloom is the fact that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we can all do our part to support a tremendous cause that helps people get checked out for a deadly condition. Thanks to organizations like the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, people are checking with their doctors and being provided with mammograms. Additional funding is being provided to research organizations as we try to combat breast cancer and find a cure.
While we may not know the exact cause of breast cancer at the moment, we do know that damaged DNA in a cell causes it to mutate and, thus, cause the cell to become a cancerous cell. Unfortunately, it is difficult at this time to know why one woman gets breast cancer and another doesn’t. Genetics certainly play a role, but the specifics are much hazier.
This is why getting checked is so important. Awareness as critical and catching breast cancer early with routine check-ups and mammograms gives you a greatly increased risk of beating cancer.
