News
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Wed 26th October 2016
This season we are working hard to raise both funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Care Scotland – a charity providing vital care and support to people affected by Breast Cancer.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we wanted to take the opportunity to share some potentially life-saving information!
Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in woman – every Year 60,000 people are diagnosed with Breast Cancer in the UK and 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Around 340 men are also diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
More than 8 out of 10 people survive breast cancer beyond five years and the earlier you are diagnosed the better your chances are of beating the disease.
The three main risk factors are -:
1. Gender – being a woman is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer.
2. Getting older – the older the person the higher the risk. More than 80% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50. Most men who get breast cancer are over 60.
3. Significant family history – this isn’t common. Around 5% of people diagnosed with breast cancer have inherited a faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
When someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, every bit of their life and their family’s life can change forever. Please make sure you take a few minutes to regularly check your breasts for anything unusual.
For care, support and information, call Breast Cancer Care free on 0808 800 6000 or visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk
