Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day

Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

What exactly is metastatic breast cancer? It is when the cancer that originated in the breast spreads to other parts of the body.

While metastatic breast cancer used to have a survival rate of only 10% today those numbers are 40% with treatment options such as surgery and/or hormonal therapy, chemo and radiation.

For more information see this WebMD article: Metastatic Breast Cancer as a Chronic Condition

Back to Basics, From the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Site:

The Top Five Risk Factors for Breast Cancer:

• Sex. The highest risk factor for breast cancer is being female; the disease is about 100 times more common among women.

• Age. The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman grows older. The risk is especially high for women age 60 and older. Breast cancer is uncommon in women younger than age 35, although it does occur. There is some evidence to suggest young African American women are at greater risk for breast cancer than young Caucasian women.

• Personal History. Women who have had breast cancer and women with a history of breast disease (not cancer, but a condition that may predispose them to cancer)may develop it again.

• Family History. The risk of developing breast cancer increases for a woman whose mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives have had the disease. It is important to know how old they were at the time they were diagnosed.

• The Breast Cancer Genes. Some individuals, both women and men, may be born with an “alteration” (or change) in one of two genes that are important for regulating breast cell growth. Individuals who inherit an alteration in the BRCA1or BRCA2 gene are at an “inherited” higher risk for breast cancer.

More on Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day:

Across the country, from New York City to Riverside, California officials are recognizing today with proclamations, “in an effort to focus public attention on this significant, under served breast cancer population. ” To view these proclamations see the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network site.