When Pink Stands for Courage

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month in America; and has been marked by numerous events and media programs designed to make people more aware of the disease that is still one of the major causes of death for women over age 40. Women who have either been faced with this dreaded disease, or persons have lost relatives who were diagnosed with its various forms, have been wearing a pink ribbon, symbolizing the disease which will strike an estimated 178,000 women in America alone this year, with more than 40,000 dying from it.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in American women after lung cancer. Though it can strike women at any age after puberty, it is usually more prevalent in women after age 40, particularly those who take estrogen based hormones to delay the symptoms of menopause. African American women are more prone to contract the disease than Caucasian women, particularly before age 40. Dietary factors also contribute greatly to contracting breast cancer; especially for those who consume large amounts of “junk food”.

Men are not immune to breast cancer; and although it strikes men in much smaller numbers then women, men over age 60 with enraged breast tissue (due partially to higher levels of estrogen in their bodies) can develop some forms of breast cancer.

There are several types of malignancies which result from breast cancer, the most common ones being ductile carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). DCIS malignancies begin in the milk ducts of the breast; and if are not found and treated in time can spread to the entire breast and beyond (into the lymph glands, etc.) LCIS is not as serious and is often considered as a warning sign of more invasive forms of cancer. Invasive forms of breast cancer, i.e. the ones affecting the breast ducts and lobes are the most serious as they eventually spread to other parts of the body including the lungs, liver, bones, and brain.

As not all forms of breast cancer are alike, detecting them can require different kinds of methods, beyond the most common ones like feeling for lumps on the breast and mammograms conducted at specialized clinics and at hospitals. In many countries ethnic backgrounds and religious doctrines often prevent many women from receiving adequate diagnosis and treatment of breast and other cancers, often resulting in high mortality rates among women. Women over age 40 in particular should undergo mammograms and other forms of cancer testing, such as pap smears, at least every two years.

New forms of treatment, including less disfiguring breast surgery has helped women overcome not only the physical problems encountered with breast cancer, but the psychological ones as well.

The American Cancer Society and similar organizations in other countries have helped to make more people aware of the importance of routine examinations, since early diagnosis helps insure a better chance for survival.

So, when you see women wearing that looped pink ribbon, you can be assured that they know very well what pink ribbon stands for: it stands for courage to over come.