It made me wake up and smell the coffee. Because of recent education and awareness, breast cancer mortality rates declined greatly between 1991 and 1995, with the largest decrease in young women. But breast cancer remains the leading cancer among women, according to the American Cancer Society. An estimated 175,000 new invasive cases of breast cancer will occur among women in the United States this year. And an estimated 1,300 men will learn they also have the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Cancer is a group of diseases that cause cells to alter and grow.
Many types of cancers, including breast cancer, cause lumps or masses called tumors. Not all lumps are cancerous. If detected in the early stages, there is a 97 percent survival rate. Although breast cancer risk increases as people get older, there are several signs to be aware of at any age, said Mary McPherson, nurse coordinator of cancer programs at the OU College of Osteopathic Medicine. After age 40, women should have a yearly mammogram and breast exam.