According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, “Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States, behind skin cancer. An estimated 281,550 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women in 2021, according to the American Cancer Society. Breast cancer accounts for 15 percent of all new cancer diagnoses and 7 percent of all cancer deaths each year.”
Breast cancer develops when cells in the breast mutate and grow out of control, forming a tumor. Exactly what causes breast cells to mutate isn’t known, but certain factors can increase the risk of this happening. Aging and genetics are the biggest contributors to a woman’s breast cancer risk.
Other factors that may increase a woman’s risk for developing breast cancer include:
At the YMCA, we are very aware of many of these factors through our ever fervent presence in the community.
While it is difficult to put a lid on, we can definitely try to do all we can through healthy living and the promotion of wholesome living. Mind, Body, and Spirit.
When you join the Y today, you get access to not just our gyms or over eighty group exercise classes or a community that cares but also, programs that help you find meaning. Programs that help you live with a purpose, and make an impact.
Race and ethnicity may also factor into a woman’s risk of developing, as well as the risk of dying, from breast cancer.
Breast cancer also occurs in men but is very rare – male breast cancer accounts for 1 percent of all diagnoses. Approximately 2,650 American men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, according to the American Cancer Society.
Some symptoms of Breast Cancer include:
Please ask your doctor to schedule regular screenings to improve your odds of fighting and beating this scourge.