Breast cancer has killed far too many of our wives, mothers, sisters and friends. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the U.S., after lung cancer, and it is the most common form of cancer among women, according to the American Cancer Society.
Each year, more than 250,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Roughly 1 in 8 Long Island women will be diagnosed with this insidious disease during their lifetimes.
In New York state, the Susan G. Komen Foundation estimates, about 15,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and the disease takes 2,700 lives.
And men develop it, too, though they have a far smaller risk than women: about 1 in 1,000. Still, there will be nearly 2,500 cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in men in the U.S. this year, www.breastcancer.org says.
Thanks to early detection and technological advances, lives are being saved, however. There was a 38 percent decline in breast cancer deaths in the U.S. between 1989 and 2012, according to the American Cancer Society.
How to help
This pink-tinged month is all about making Americans aware of where we stand in the fight against the disease, and encouraging more of us to get involved, in any way we can. Among the many gatherings scheduled across Long Island is the Making Strides Long Island walk, which will take place on Sunday at 7 a.m. at Jones Beach’s Field 5.
What you should look for
Some of the most common symptoms of breast cancer include:
• A lump, knot or thickening under the breast or in the underarm area.
• Swelling, redness or darkening of the breast.
• Change in a breast’s size or shape.
• An itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple.
• A pulling-in or retraction of the nipple or other parts of the breast.
Family history often plays a role in the development of the disease. Geri Barish, president of 1 in 9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition and a three-time breast cancer survivor, said that there is often a correlation between breast cancer and other cancers that have occurred among relatives, and she encourages people to learn about that history as they gauge their own risk.