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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 1, 2010 by · Comments Off on Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Breast cancer continues to take a heavy toll on American women, 26 years after health advocates called October Awareness Month National Breast.

How big a toll? In 2006, 191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,820 women died, according to latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, after nonmelanoma skin cancer.

But the news is not all bad. In fact, women live longer than ever after a diagnosis.

“There has been a decline in mortality over the past 40 years,” says Dr. Deborah Axelrod, director of clinical programs and services for breast cancer at New York University Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. “We have made cancer a chronic disease. I’m optimistic.”

Here’s something else you know. Men get breast cancer too, although much less frequently than women. For every 100 cases in women, a man has breast cancer, according to the CDC.

What steps can be taken to reduce risk? Regular exercise and weight control can help, experts say. So you can limit the amount of alcohol you drink.

regular mammograms may be helpful too. But it is also important to know the warning signs of breast cancer.

These include:

* New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
* Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
* Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
* Redness or scaling of the nipple area or chest.
* Sinking of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
* Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
* Any change in size or shape of the breast.
Pain in any area of the breast.

If you want to help raise money for the cause, there are plenty of events this month across the country. Here’s a short list.

And stay tuned at CBSNews.com. We have a lot of edging is cut over the next few days, including breast cancer myths debunked, what you need to know about mammograms and a step by step guide to self-examination.

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