Early detection of breast cancer saves lives

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a great time to become educated about the importance of early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

In recognition of this, a series of articles will appear in this column throughout October to provide information about detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 13 percent of the female population in America will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer.

This equals about one in eight females. Let's apply these numbers locally: approximately 20,000 people in Bonner County are female. This means that more than 2,600 of us will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in our lives.

While I don't believe that people should be described as statistics, I do believe they help us put things in perspective.

If we begin to see the numbers as individuals — our loved ones, friends and neighbors, ourselves — then the reality of the disease begins to hit home.

Below are some basic facts about breast cancer provided by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation:

? Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.

? Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.

? Nearly 200,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in 2007.

? An estimated 2,030 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in the United States during 2007.

? The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.

? Approximately five to ten percent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.

Perhaps one of the most important things to understand, however, is that when detected early, breast cancer is an extremely treatable disease.

According to the Komen Foundation, the five-year relative survival rate for women with localized breast cancer (cancer that has not spread to lymph nodes or other locations outside the breast) has increased from 74 percent in 1982 to 98 percent in 2007.

In the United States today, there are more than two million breast cancer survivors! So as we begin the month of October, remind those you love about the importance of early detection.