Originally organized in hopes of filling an information void about breast cancer and promoting the need for better and more affording screening, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month marks its 25th anniversary this year, reaching more people than ever through conferences, symposiums, fundraisers, and simple tools of communication, like brochures that stress the importance of annual mammograms.
In 2009, some 192,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and about 40,000 will die of the disease. Only lung cancer kills more women. And though the death rate from breast cancer has dropped about 2 percent annually since 1990, records show that minorities and uninsured women still remain at a higher risk because only 30 percent of women in those categories have had access to a mammogram during the past two years.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month strives to take up the cause of the uninsured by scheduling events such as National Mammography Day on Friday, October 16, a day when radiologists around the country are encouraged to offer mammograms to all women for free or at highly discounted rates. The event could potentially save thousands of lives, experts agree.
All cancer victims can benefit from better screening methods and early detection. For example, those who have developed mesothelioma cancer caused by exposure to and inhalation of asbestos face an almost uncertain death because it has traditionally been nearly impossible to diagnose that form of cancer in its early stages. Because mesothelioma remains latent in the body for anywhere from 20-50 years, diagnosis usually occurs when the cancer has reached Stage 3 or 4, leaving few successful options for treatment. Historically, mesothelioma treatments – including chemotherapy and radiation – have done little to combat the disease, generally resulting in death less than a year after diagnosis.
However, due to awareness events such as the one organized each year for breast cancer, funds for developing new and novel treatments and diagnostic methods for mesothelioma are becoming more available. Because of those funds, tests like the Mesomark® Assay are being developed and becoming more widely used. This simple blood test can help determine the presence of mesothelioma before symptoms arise by measuring the levels of Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides (SMRP) in human serum. Early diagnosis by means of such tests means a higher than ever five-year survival rate for mesothelioma victims.
Mesothelioma doctors and researchers hope that campaigns to raise awareness of asbestos cancer can be even half as successful as those that have brought the awareness of breast cancer to the forefront of the minds of women worldwide. Events like National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, sponsored by a variety of public service organizations, medical associations, and government agencies, have done much to educate the public and the federal government as to the need for better funding for that particular form of cancer, something which has indeed been lacking for mesothelioma researchers.
In addition, such events also bring to the public’s attention other factors that can impact one’s probability for developing cancer, including issues such as obesity and smoking, the latter of which greatly increases the chances of developing both breast cancer and mesothelioma.
Though great strides have been taken in addressing the need for better detection and treatment of breast and other serious forms of cancer, doctors admit there is still much to be accomplished. The 25th annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month aims to assist in getting yet one step closer in the fight to eradicate this killer and others like it.
