In October, We wear pink

Breast Cancer awareness month has arrived and it is a month to take the time to raise awareness of breast cancer. Every October women and men get together and wear pink to raise awareness of the disease and support survivors and other people who are affected by breast cancer. During this month, people also get together to raise funds for research for the prevention, cure, and treatment of breast cancer. “I’m really inspired by the support given by everybody on this month. It gets people to talk and get information on the cancer,” said Mikayla Johnson, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering major from Atlanta, Georgia. Breast cancer is when the cells in the breast start to grow uncontrollably large and start to form a tumor, which is felt as a lump. The tumor becomes cancerous when the cells start to invade surrounding tissues or spread to other areas in the body. The tumor starts to disfigure the breast into an irregular shape known as skin dimpling and starts to change the color and texture. Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among women and although it’s very rare, men can have breast cancer too. The latest data from the American Cancer Society shows that although the breast cancer rate for African Americans is 10% lower than Caucasian women, the death rate is 60% higher among African American women because the tumors are more aggressive than those from whites. Black women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age and it tends to be the most aggressive kind with very few effective treatment options. “I think it’s very important to get tested because breast cancer has become a really big issue with women over the years,” said Sierra Smith, junior marketing major from New Orleans, Louisiana. There several different types of breast cancer. The most common form of breast cancer is Ductal Carcinoma, which is when cancer cells begin forming in the breast ducts. The rarest forms of breast cancer are Lobular Carcinoma, which is
when cancer cells break out in the milk producing glandes of the breast and Inflammatory Breast Cancer which is known as the most aggressive type of breast cancer. It is when the cancer cells blocks the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, causing it to become red and swollen. There are many factors that can lead to breast cancer such as obesity, alcohol consumption, genetics, early age of a menstrual cycle, older age of childbirth, or never giving birth, however, there are also many factors that can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer. Such factors include maintaining a healthy lifestyle and normal weight, exercising daily and taking estrogen blockers. There are 4 stages of breast cancer. The first stage is stage 0 which is when the cells are found in the ducts of the breast and when caught early there is a one hundred percent survival rate, Stage one is when the tumor is less than an inch across and there is a ninety-eight percent survival rate. Stage 2 is when the tumor is less than two inches across and it may spread to the lymph nodes, giving it an eighty-eight percent survival rate. Stage 3 is when the tumor is more than two inches across and spreads to nearby lymph nodes and starts to cause inflammation in the breast, giving it a fifty-eight percent survival rate. Stage 4 is when the cancer has spread beyond the breast giving it a sixteen percent survival rate. There are several tests to indicate whether or not you have breast cancer that include a breast exam, which is when the doctor checks both of your breasts for lumps or lymph nodes on your arm pits, a mammogram and a breast ultrasound. Many women with early breast cancer show no symptoms so it is very urgent to get tested for breast cancer to catch early detection and get treatment. Go support pink.