October marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is a nationwide initiative that works to help raise awareness and educate the public about symptoms to identify early warning signs. I hope that through this article, we can continue to find ways of bringing awareness to causes like this one. The National Breast Cancer Foundation initiates this annual campaign to work to bridge the gap between this health issue and the public’s understanding. Campaigns such as this will hopefully help people better understand breast cancer and its implications, as well as detect various symptoms of the disease.
Breast cancer is a cancer that forms in the tissues of the breast. Statistically speaking, about one in eight women can at some point develop this disease. Each year, it is estimated that 220,000 women may be diagnosed with this disease. According to American Cancer Society, there are currently 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. In the last few decades, improvements in the medical area and medicine have helped in prevention and treatment. Breast cancer occurrences have also declined due to screenings and the early detection of symptoms.
Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed among females, though around one percent of those who are diagnosed with the disease are males. This number translates to approximately 2,000 male individuals who will be diagnosed in the United States annually. The reason that men can develop breast cancer is because both males and females are born with at least some amount of breast cells and tissue. Though this is a much rarer form of breast cancer, males have a higher mortality rate than females. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, a reason for this is that there is a lack of awareness for male breast cancer. Because few males regularly screen themselves for breast cancer, there can be a delay in recognizing the symptoms and going to seek treatment.
During the time a medical professional engages in the diagnostic process for breast cancer, they use a tumor grading system to help define the severity of the mutation. The grading system also determines the probability that cancer will spread. Tumors are usually given a grade from a scale of one to three depending on the cancerous cell’s aggression. This grading system is an important part of the process because it helps the medical professionals determine what the appropriate and best forms of treatment should be. Though high grades are concerning, individuals have the potential to make full recoveries at even these advanced stages.
If you would like to learn more about Breast Cancer Awareness Month or find out some of the early warning signs and symptoms, some helpful websites include the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Texas Department of State Health Services, or the American Cancer Society.
As a reminder, the 84th Texas Legislative session is fast approaching and will be back in session in January of 2015. As always, I want to hear your ideas and suggestions as we get closer the start of next session. These ideas and information are important forms of feedback and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact my office.
If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this week’s article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. Please always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or issues regarding a Texas state agency, or if you would like to contact my office regarding constituent services. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
– State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces (Part) County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
