Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Still Important
In the flood of changes to our healthcare, tariffs, shutdown, open enrollment, etc., it would be easy to forget that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It usually doesn’t get forgotten very often; the pink ribbons are usually very prominent, but this year is certainly one like no other. People are becoming unsure of the institutions that we used to trust. There seems to be confusion in people’s minds of how to proceed with their own healthcare in this fast-changing environment. All of this threatens to distract us from focusing on maybe the most important part of keeping ourselves healthy . . . prevention.
While early detection has long been the rallying cry of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the path forward has become increasingly unclear. A quote from the web site breastcancer.org highlights this uncertainty.
“Some experts argue that getting a mammogram every year can lead to greater expense, unnecessary testing, and more false positives. . . Advocates of annual mammograms point out that some breast cancers grow fast and that yearly testing is important for catching cancer as early as possible for the best outcome.”
The same website offers some very good advice in this time of uncertainty.
“These concerns have led several medical organizations to recommend that women at average risk be offered mammograms starting at age 40, but that specific decisions about when to start and how often to get mammograms should be made on an individual basis in collaboration with their doctor.”
Each of us is finding our own way through the tsunami of information and advice about our healthcare. I’ve always advised people to turn to the person who knows you best, your personal doctor and trusted specialists. They know you and your health status and can give you the most informed advice on how to proceed with prevention and treatment.
The most important part of this prevention process is you. You have to take the first steps to make appointments, ask questions, and understand your risks. It’s sad to note that only 67% of women over 65 get regular mammograms. That means that the appointments haven’t been made, and questions haven’t been asked. I’ve found over 20 different risk factors plus exposures to a multitude of chemicals that could have an impact on the likely hood that you will develop breast cancer. Some of these risk factors we can’t control – like your sex, your age, your race, and your genetics. Others you can influence – like your weight, drinking alcohol, smoking and lack of exercise. There is one risk factor, your genetics, that you can’t control but how you react to that risk can have a big impact on how it affects your health. 5% to 10% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary. Having the gene defect BRCA1 (BReast CAncer gene one) and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer gene two) are defects that put you at risk of breast cancer. Your family history and gene defects are clear warnings that you need to increase your vigilance. There are even preventative surgeries that are recommended when appropriate for those in some high-risk categories. The secret here is knowledge, you can’t take the correct actions if you don’t know. Talk with your doctor, go over your personal situation and family history, take whatever tests recommended to assess where you stand, knowledge is the first action step in effective prevention.
There are a few other things to consider during this breast cancer awareness month. Monday, October 13th, was Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Metastatic breast cancer is cancer that spreads to different parts of the body. About 168,000 women in the U.S. are estimated to have metastatic breast cancer. Some researchers believe this number will rise to over 246,000 living with the disease by 2030. This day is especially important because most of the money designated for breast cancer research doesn’t go toward studying this deadly offshoot of the disease. We need to emphasize the need to increase the effort to understand and fight metastatic breast cancer.
Another area that is often overlooked is breast cancer in men. 2,800 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025, and about 510 are expected to die from the disease. While this certainly is a small number when compared to women, the lack of awareness and the stigma attached to the disease greatly reduces the amount of prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer in men. This lack of prevention could have a huge impact on the severity and the number of deaths to men affected by this disease. We need to tell the men in our lives to pay attention to breast cancer too.
Finally, the popularity of the pink ribbon symbol in support of increasing the study of breast cancer has created a negative marketing approach called “pinkwashing”. This is the practice of commercial businesses creating campaigns that promote the sale of their products as a partnership with a breast cancer non-profit. At worst, these partnerships may be very weak, or non-existent or the commercial companies’ products may actually increase the risk of some cancers. Review the company and their connection to the cancer fight before you donate time and resources or purchase their products. It’s too bad that we have to be careful as we seek to help fight this deadly disease.
Take the time this month to think about you or a loved one’s focus on breast cancer and whether you are doing what you can to become knowledgeable about your personal risks and talk with your doctor about the best path you can take to avoid this deadly disease.
Best, Thair
p.s. We’re keeping our eye on the government shutdown and its impact on your healthcare. We’ll strive to keep you informed.