October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. Cancer is a broad term for a class of diseases characterized by abnormal cells that grow and invade healthy cells in the body. Breast cancer starts in the cells of the breast as a group of cancer cells that can then invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body. Did you know that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime? While you can’t prevent cancer, it is important to be proactive about your health. Breast cancer death rates declined 40% from 1989 to 2016 among women. The progress is attributed to improvements in early detection.

However, breast cancer does not only develop in women. Men can also develop breast cancer. Each year, it is estimated that approximately 2,190 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 410 will die. While this percentage is still small, men should also check themselves periodically by doing a breast self-exam and reporting any changes to their physicians. Men carry a higher mortality rate than women do, by 25%, primarily because awareness among men is less and they are less likely to assume a lump is breast cancer, which can cause a delay in seeking treatment.

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