Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. There are 192,370 new cases of breast cancer expected to be diagnosed in American women in 2009. Also over 1,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year so men don’t think that you are exempt from this disease. However, women who have siblings, parents, or a child who has had breast cancer run a higher risk of developing the disease. Furthermore, 1 out of 8 American woman who live to be 85 years old will develop breast cancer. The good news is that death rates from breast cancer across the country have fallen by about 2 percent a year according to the American Cancer Society. I want to encourage women ages 40 and up to make sure they get mammograms because the earlier you diagnose the problem, the easier it is treat. I will continue to post more information about breast cancer for the remainder of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
