October is the month of Breast Cancer Awareness and we have dedicated this special edition of The Omega Sigma Link to this worthy cause, hence the name “Link in Pink”.
October 11th, 2008 is Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, a walk to help fight breast cancer and provide hope to people facing the disease. Our Chapter has signed up to walk and our fundraising goal is $500. So far, we have collectively raised $200.
Please copy and paste the link below into your internet browser to visit our team page, sign up to walk, or make a donation. You can also bring your donation of any amount to the meeting on Friday, and remember you earn points toward your Enhanced Membership Program for participating! Thank you in advance for any support you may be able to offer.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer - Omega Sigma Team Homepage:
http://main. acsevents. org/site/ TR/MakingStrides AgainstBreastCan cer/MSABCFY08Hig hPlains?team_ id=119430&pg=team&fr_id=3534&et=mByjYLvuA4A_ VCE_8H6txw. .&s_tafId=73687
Together we can all make a difference!
Kappa Hugs,
VP of Service, Bobby Marshall
Hope starts with you and me - let's walk !
This year, hundreds of thousands of people will hear the words, "You have breast cancer," and there's a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. The Omega Sigma Chapter has chosen to fight back against this disease and help make a difference by participating in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® walk and we hope you will join us.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a noncompetitive walk that takes place in 120 communities across the country. From Arizona to Maine and Washington to Florida, Making Strides walkers unite to honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors, educate women about early detection and prevention, and raise money to fund lifesaving research and support programs to help fight breast cancer. But Making Strides is more than just the name of a walk. It describes the amazing progress we can make if we work together to defeat this disease.
Since 1993, 3.5 million walkers across the country have raised more than $230 million through Making Strides events to help fight breast cancer. Last year alone, the efforts of dedicated supporters like you raised more than $45 million nationwide to enable the American Cancer Society to continue fighting breast cancer every day.
As the nation’s largest source of private, nonprofit cancer research funds, the American Cancer Society has invested more in breast cancer research grants over time than any other voluntary public health organization, $322.7 million since 1972! Generous donations have allowed the American Cancer Society to be involved in many of the major breast cancer research breakthroughs of the century including Lumpectomy and radiation for treatment of breast cancer, and Mammography to screen for breast cancer.
In addition to funding cutting-edge research, the donations we collect enable the American Cancer Society to provide up-to-date cancer information and education, advocate for all people to have access to critical cancer screenings and follow-up care, and offer free programs to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
Please join our team and walk with us to experience an incredible day of inspiration and meaning, and to provide hope for all people facing breast cancer..
Hope starts with you and me ... let's walk!
Sources: American Cancer Society Cancer, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation http://www.komen.org/
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. The disease occurs mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer as well. The information here refers only to breast cancer in women, but separate information about breast cancer in men can be found on the American Cancer Society’s website www.cancer.org.
A woman’s breast is made up of glands that make breast milk (lobules), ducts (small tubes that connect lobules to the nipple), fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymph (pronounced limf) vessels. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts (ductal carcinoma), some begin in the lobules (lobular carcinoma), and the rest in other tissues.
Lymph vessels are like veins, except that they carry lymph fluid instead of blood. Lymph is a clear fluid that contains immune system cells and waste products. Lymph vessels lead to small, bean-shaped collections of tissue called lymph nodes. Most lymph vessels of the breast lead to lymph nodes under the arm. These are called axillary (AX-uh-lair-ee) nodes.
If breast cancer cells reach the underarm lymph nodes and continue to grow, they cause the nodes to swell. Once cancer cells have reached these nodes they are more likely to spread to other organs of the body as well.
Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
The good news is that breast cancer incidence and death rates are declining, which means more people are beating this disease thanks to early detection through mammograms and improved treatment methods. However, recent studies show that mammography rates are declining. We know that knowledge is power, and every woman needs to understand how they can take control of their breast health. Detecting breast cancer early, at its most treatable stage, can make the difference between life and death.
The American Cancer Society’s current guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer are:
Yearly mammograms starting at age 40; consult your doctor if you are at increased risk (for example, family history, genetic tendency, past breast cancer).
Clinical breast exam (CBE) about every 3 years for women in their 20’s and 30’s and every year for women 40 and over.
Breast self-exam (BSE) for women starting in their 20s and report any breast change promptly to their health care providers.
Signs and Symptoms
The earliest sign of breast cancer is usually an abnormality detected on a mammogram before the woman or health care professional can feel it. Larger tumors may become noticeable as a breast lump, thickening, swelling, distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, dimpling, nipple pain, scaliness, ulceration, retraction, or spontaneous discharge. Usually, breast pain results from benign conditions and is not the first symptom of breast cancer. All suspicious lumps should be checked for a definitive diagnosis.
Know the Risk Factors
Aside from being female, age is the most important factor affecting breast cancer risk. About 77 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are age 50 or older. About 18 percent of breast cancer diagnoses
are among women in their 40s. Risk is also increased by:
Inherited genetic mutations (BRCA1 and BRCA2)
A personal or family history of breast cancer
High breast tissue density (amount of glandular tissue relative to fatty tissue in the breast)
Biopsy-confirmed hyperplasia
High-dose radiation to the chest as a result of medical procedures
Reproductive factors including a long menstrual history (menstrual periods that start early and/or end late in life), never having children, recent use of oral contraceptives, postmenopausal hormone therapy, and having one's first child after age 30.
Prevention
At this time, there is no guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer, which is why regular mammograms are so important. A woman’s best overall preventive health strategies, besides regular mammograms, are to:
Maintain a healthy body weight
Engage in regular physical activity*
Reduce alcohol consumption to no more than one drink a day
Source: American Cancer Society Cancer
Breast Cancer Statistics For 2008
178,480 new breast cancer cases are estimated to be diagnosed this year
40,460 women will die from breast cancer
2,030 men will develop breast cancer and 450 will die from the disease
12,120 women in Texas will be diagnosed with breast cancer
1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer some time during her life
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer
Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2007
What Does Not Cause Cancer
Underwire bras
Antiperspirants
Induced abortions
Spontaneous miscarriages
Coffee
Trauma
Certain environmental pollutants
Birth control pills
Breast implants
Dyeing your hair
.
To learn more about breast cancer, please visit http://www.cancer.org/, or call toll-free 1-800-ACS-2345, anytime day or night.
Sources: American Cancer Society Cancer, and
the Susan G. Komen Foundation http://www.komen.org/