Every year, the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. This global campaign is organized by major breast cancer charities every year to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or NBCAM, was founded in October 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries (now part of AstraZeneca, producer of several anti-breast cancer drugs). The aim of the NBCAM from the start has been to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.
Male breast cancer, which is rare, is generally overlooked. In 2009 the male breast cancer advocacy groups Out of the Shadow of Pink, A Man’s Pink, and the Brandon Greening Foundation for Breast Cancer in Men joined together to globally establish the third week of October as “Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week”
Sometimes referred to as National Breast Cancer Industry Month, critics of NBCAM point to a conflict of interest between corporations sponsoring breast cancer awareness while profiting from diagnosis and treatment. The breast cancer advocacy organization, Breast Cancer Action, has said repeatedly in newsletters and other information sources that October has become a public relations campaign that avoids discussion of the causes and prevention of breast cancer and instead focuses on “awareness” as a way to encourage women to get their mammograms.
The term pinkwashing has been used by Breast Cancer Action to describe the actions of companies that manufacture and use chemicals that show a link with breast cancer and at the same time publicly support charities focused on curing the disease. Other criticisms center on the marketing of “pink products” and tie-ins, citing that more money is spent marketing these campaigns than is donated to the cause itself.
Facts about Breast Cancer
- Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast. It can start in one or both breasts.
- Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer, too.
- It’s important to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer.
- Breast cancers can start from different parts of the breast.
- Breast cancer can spread when the cancer cells get into the blood or lymph system and then are carried to other parts of the body.
- Breast cancer is sometimes found after symptoms appear, but many women with breast cancer have no symptoms. This is why regular breast cancer screening is so important.
- If detected early, the prognosis is very good. The average 10-year survival rate for women with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer is 84%.
- Treatment for breast cancer is successful for most people, and the risk of recurrence gets less as time goes on.
5 steps to know if breast cancer is lurking around
Stay tension-free with a few breast self-examination steps!
- Put your arms on the hips and examine your breasts in the mirror. Look for dimpling, puckering or bulging of the skin. Is there any redness, soreness, rash or swelling?
- Raise your arms over your head and look for the same changes.
- With your arms still over your head, look for any signs of fluid coming out of any of both nipples.
- Lie down on your back. Use your right hand to feel your left breast. Keep your fingers flat and complete an outer circle. Then move in 1 inch towards the nipple and complete another circle. Keep repeating till you reach the nipple. You’re looking for a lump. Repeat for the other breast.
- Feel your breasts in the shower. It’s easier when the skin is wet and slippery. Cover the same hand moments described in step 4.
Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Some of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer include:
- A lump or thickening that ‘feels’ different from the tissue all around
- Any changes in the size, shape, or appearance of a breast
- Changes to the appearance of the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
- An inverted nipple that was not the case before
- Peeling, scaling, crusting, or flaking of the nipple-areola or breast skin
- Signs of redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange
Today, breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining. This is due to factors such as earlier detection, a personalized approach to treatment, and a better understanding of the disease itself.
MWT Global Academy joins hands with other leading institutes across the world, in disseminating information to promote the early detection of breast cancer for a positive outcome.