Yonkers Insider: From Westchester County: Breast Cancer Awareness.

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the United States after skin cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women after lung cancer.

Be vigilant about breast cancer detection!  Examine yourself regularly and contact your doctor with any concerns.  Be diligent about annual exams and mammograms.  The following can also help decrease your risk of developing breast cancer:

1. Limit alcohol.
2. Don't smoke.
3. Control your weight.
4. Be physically active.
5. Having a history of breast-feeding has lowered risk.
6. Limit dose and duration of hormone therapy.
7. Avoid exposure to radiation and environmental pollution.

 

Minorities and the poor continue to bear disproportionate burden of cancer particularly in terms of diagnosis, incidence and mortality.

 

• Did you know African American women are more likely than white women to die of breast cancer?  The mortality gap is widening as the incidence in African American women is increasing.
• Did you know African American women nearly 2x as likely as white women to be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer which is more aggressive and harder to treat than other subtypes of breast cancer?
• Did you know African American women are diagnosed at stage 3 at a higher rate than other racial/ethnic groups? African American, Asian, Pacific Islanders, American Indian and Hispanic women are all diagnosed at stage 2 at a higher rate than white women. The time of diagnosis is crucial; survival rates are 100% at stages 0 and 1, 93% at stage 2 and 72% at stage 3.