October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Both men and women are at risk

October is Female & Male Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Each year in October, the world encourages us to “Think Pink” in observance of breast cancer awareness in females. Unfortunately, there are also a resounding number of males who get breast cancer as well. So, this October, the observance is “Pink and Blue, men get cancer too!”

According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, behind forms of skin cancer, and there have been 3.8 million cases in the United States and the number continues to rise with African American women having the most cases. However, according to cancer.org, about 1 in every 833 men will get breast cancer in their lifetime and only about 2,710 cases are diagnosed annually. Most cases of breast cancer, when detected early, can be cured by surgical means, chemotherapy and sometimes removal of the cancerous breast{s}.

Both men and women are encouraged to check for symptoms:

Men:

A pain or lump or thickening of your breast tissue.

Changes in the skin covering your breast, such as dimpling, wrinkling, redness or scaling.

Changes to your nipple, such as redness or scaling, or a nipple that begins to turn inward.

Discharge from your nipple

Females:

Swelling of all or part of the breast [even if no distinct lump is felt}

Skin irritations or dimpling {sometimes looking like an orange peel}

Breast or nipple pain

Nipple retractions, turning inward

Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin

Nipple discharge {other than breast milk}

If any male or female see any of these symptoms, you are HIGHLY encouraged to see your primary physician and/or gynecologist.

Remember, doing self-check examinations and annual physicals and mammograms can help keep the numbers down. For more information, please go to cancer.org or call 800-227-2345.

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