Today kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign with a goal to increase awareness about the importance of detecting breast cancer in its early stages.
"Anyone can be affected by breast cancer," said Lauren Dorsett, a health educator with Texas A&M University's Student Health Services. "All men and women can be affected."
Breast cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the tissue of the breast, typically in the ducts, the tubes that carry milk to the nipple, or the lobules, the glands that make milk.
Although breast cancer is most prevalent in women over the age of 45, Dorsett said it's important for women in college to get in the habit of performing self-exams once a month and having a physician perform a clinical exam at annual well-woman check-ups.
"It's a goal for all college women to perform breast exams and get breast exams starting from puberty on," Dorsett said. "You need to be comfortable with your own breasts and know what's normal for your breasts. So if there is a lump or an abnormality, you know."
Although some women may feel uncomfortable performing a self-breast exam, Dorsett said it is important to erase the negative connotation associated with the exam.
"I think the most important thing for college women to know is that it's not a scary thing to do a breast exam," Dorsett said. "It's also important to have a physician do a clinical breast exam because it is not the same as a mammogram, which is an X-Ray."
Another element of prevention is keeping physicians aware of any family history of cancer.
"It's not just being directly affected by breast cancer, but having a family member affected by breast cancer [can increase chances of development]," Dorsett said.
According to the National Cancer Institute, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors that can increase chances of cancer. The NCI also said that although there is no way to prevent the development of cancer, regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors against some types of cancer.
According to the NCI, there have been 192,370 new cases in females and 1,910 new cases in males so far this year.
Although A&M will not be hosting any Breast Cancer Awareness events, students can participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at 8 a.m Saturday in Houston.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 1982 after Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister that she would do all she could to find a cure for breast cancer. The foundation's mission is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.
For more information about participating in Race for the Cure, visit www.komen-houston.org.
To schedule an appointment at the Women's Clinic in Beutel Health Center, visit shs.tamu.edu/services/womensclinic or call (979) 458-8250.
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