As Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicks off today, it is important to remember that early detection, understanding treatment options, genetic testing and prevention are the key elements of the battle with cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women and the second most common cause of death from cancer among white, black, Asian and American Indian women. According to the American Cancer Society’s statistics, breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in American women.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates that each year, over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and over 40,000 die. Breast cancer is not exclusively a disease of women. Approximately 1,700 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 will die each year. The incidence of breast cancer increases dramatically after age fifty, with fifty percent of breast cancers diagnosed in women over the age of forty-five.

But if breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer exceeds 96%. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods. This low-dose X-ray examination method can detect breast cancer up to two years before it is large enough to be felt.

However, it is important to note that breast cancer death rates have been declining since 1990. Over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors are alive in America today. The progress is mainly due to early detection and treatment.

The American Cancer Society advises women who are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer to talk with their doctors about the positive and the negative consequences of starting mammography screening earlier. Obese women, especially those who are post-menopausal, women who consume excessive amounts of alcohol (greater than two ounces per day) and those who smoke are at increased risk. Patients who have a history of receiving radiation therapy for other conditions are at greater risk, as are those who have undergone numerous breast biopsies. The risk can also be inherited from the mother’s or father’s side of the family. However, it is important to note that 85% of women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

One of the events that are going to be held in the U.S. in October is breast cancer research and awareness fundraising campaign launched by Safeway’s Inc., one of North America’s largest corporate supporters of cancer research and treatment. The company will also be a major regional sponsor of 10 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation “Race for the Cure” events across the U.S. This action is organized each year by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which was founded by Nancy Briker in 1982, in her sister’s (Susan Komen) memory. Susan Komen suffered from cancer and died three years after being diagnosed. Susan G. Komen for the Cure sustains breast cancer survivors and tries to increase public understanding of the disease. The money raised is donated to the organizers’ choice of breast cancer care or research programs.

The universal symbol of breast cancer awareness is the pink ribbon. The Pink Ribbon campaign, organized every year by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, aims to celebrate the achievements of breast cancer research and raise additional funds.