Go PINK!

"Ignorance is bliss", so they said. Which may some times be true if you really don't want to know anything about anything at all.

But remember, just because you are ignoring its existence doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's talk about the silent killer.

Worldwide, breast cancer comprises 10.4% of all cancer incidence among women, making it the most common type of non-skin cancer in women and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. In 2004, breast cancer caused 519,000 deaths worldwide (7% of cancer deaths; almost 1% of all deaths).

In the world,

Every 3 minutes, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer (USA).
Every 11 minutes, one woman dies from breast cancer (USA).
Every year, 30,000 women and 200 men are diagnosed with breast cancer (UK).

The incidence (number of new cancers) is steadily increasing. The statistics are more frightening in countries like the USA where about 184,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected annually. The National Cancer Institute estimates that by age 50, one out of every 50 women will develop breast cancer. By age 80, it will rise to one in 10. If this risk is calculated over their lifetime, one in 8 women will suffer from breast cancer. One in 28 will die of the disease. One in 3,000 women develop breast cancer during pregnancy and pregnant women tend to develop them usually in their 30s.

In countries where rates have been low, especially in Asia, the rate of increase has been the greatest with steep increases in the incidence as well as death rate.

In Malaysia,

Breast cancer was the most common overall cancer as well as the most common cancer in women amongst all races from the age of 20 years for 2003 to 2005.
Breast cancer is most common in the Chinese, followed by the Indians and then, Malays.
A woman in Malaysia has a 1 in 20 chance of getting breast cancer in her lifetime.
The cumulative life time risk of developing breast cancer for Chinese women, Indian women and Malay women were 1 in 16, 1 in 17 and 1 in 28 respectively.

(Radiology Malaysia, 2008)

A ONE in 20 chance. Are you aware of that? Banish the ignorance, because fear always springs from ignorance. Learn about it, read about it. Remember, convincing yourself that "It won't happen to me" doesn't change the statistics.

Click HERE for a guide on BSE.

Thank YOU for the ducky and the picture :)

Turn PINK for October.

I am turning pink to support all the strong women out there who are battling the silent killer with their every being; in honour of all the brave ones who have fought and have lost; and in celebration for all the survivors who have fought hard and won.

Why are you turning pink?