With this being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we're seeing reminders to do self-exams and get mammograms . . . but nearly all of the campaigns are aimed at women 40 and up. Is this something that should be changed? Is breast cancer PR aiming too high? Thanks to years of these campaigns, many women assume that they don't need to worry about breast cancer until they are middle aged or older. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 to 54 and over 10,000 women under 40 will be diagnosed with it this year, with another 23,000 under 45. That might seem like a drop in the bucket, but for those 10,000 women and their families, it will be a devastating diagnosis. As someone who's sister was diagnosed at just 24, I know from experience that it can be a horrible shock to realize that this type of cancer can hit this early . . . most of us aren't even thinking about mammograms in our twenties! Since younger women don't make up a huge percentage of those affected, there is very little breast cancer research being done on this age group. Thanks to a lack of awareness that breast cancer can hit women under 40, many girls are diagnosed at a much later stage, which is the main reason this form of cancer is so deadly among those under 40. Another reason is that experts believe cancer in younger women is actually a more aggressive form, particularly in those under 25. Even during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, most of our attention is focused on the older set.
With this being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we're seeing reminders to do self-exams and get mammograms . . . but nearly all of the campaigns are aimed at women 40 and up. Is this something that should be changed? Is breast cancer PR aiming too high? Thanks to years of these campaigns, many women assume that they don't need to worry about breast cancer until they are middle aged or older. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 to 54 and over 10,000 women under 40 will be diagnosed with it this year, with another 23,000 under 45. That might seem like a drop in the bucket, but for those 10,000 women and their families, it will be a devastating diagnosis. As someone who's sister was diagnosed at just 24, I know from experience that it can be a horrible shock to realize that this type of cancer can hit this early . . . most of us aren't even thinking about mammograms in our twenties! Since younger women don't make up a huge percentage of those affected, there is very little breast cancer research being done on this age group. Thanks to a lack of awareness that breast cancer can hit women under 40, many girls are diagnosed at a much later stage, which is the main reason this form of cancer is so deadly among those under 40. Another reason is that experts believe cancer in younger women is actually a more aggressive form, particularly in those under 25. Even during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, most of our attention is focused on the older set.
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EPR Editorial Team
EPR Editorial Team - Author at Everything Public Relations
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