Call 714-441-9535 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call 714-441-9535 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted by Michael Werner, October 2, 2018

Each year, October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness month. Women of all ages can develop this devastating cancer, but it does become more common as we grow older. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the world, responsible for 458,000 deaths worldwide each year.

Currently, research has yet to pinpoint the exact causes of most cases of breast cancer. Genetic links have been discovered in a minority of cases, but for most patients, the cause is unknown. Therefore, awareness focuses on prevention and early recognition of the disease. When caught early, breast cancer is treatable and survivable.

Warning signs of breast cancer include: 

  • A change in how your breasts look and feel
  • A change in the appearance or feeling of your nipples
  • Nipple discharge
  • Lumps, hard knots, or thickening in breast tissue
  • Swelling, warmth, redness, or darkening of breast tissue
  • Dimpling or puckering of the skin on the breast
  • A change in the size or shape of your breasts
  • A rash or sore on the nipple
  • Nipple or other part of the breast “pulls in”
  • A new pain on the breasts that does not go away

It is important to note that these symptoms can appear in one or both breasts. Also, though it is much more rare, men can contract breast cancer too!

Please know that if these symptoms appear, they do not automatically signal breast cancer. In fact, a more benign and simple condition is more often to blame. Regardless, it is important to report these symptoms to your healthcare provider immediately, so that the possibility of breast cancer can be ruled out.

Early detection is key. Routine screenings for breast cancer are perhaps even more important than learning the potential signs. With regular preventive screenings, we can often identify the development of cancer early in the process, before symptoms even appear. The American Cancer Society recommends mammography every two years for women over age 55, or annually if you have reason to be concerned about cancer (due to family history or other factors).

Talk to your healthcare provider about your own risk of breast cancer, which can vary according to genetics and lifestyle factors. Schedule a mammogram if you haven’t had one in the past two years, and please do follow your physician’s advice regarding cancer prevention.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close