In Recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – We will donate 10% of breast surgery revenue

It’s that time of the year again when we all come together to support Breast Cancer Awareness month. While it’s important to continue this support throughout the year, October is nationally known as the month to kick things into high gear. With charity races and events taking place all over the country, women and men band together to support the efforts to one day find a cure for breast cancer.

Earlier in the month, BreastCancer.org published some enlightening and staggering breast cancer statistics. We take a look at some of the keynotes to get a better understanding of the gravity of the situation, and what we can all do to help out.

• Around 12% of all women in America will develop some form of invasive breast cancer.
• In 2015, it is believed that more than 230,000 new invasive breast cancer cases will be diagnosed in America, and another 60,000 new cases of noninvasive breast cancer will be diagnosed.
• 1 in every 1,000 men will develop breast cancer, and roughly 2,300 will be diagnosed in 2015.
• The number of breast cancer diagnoses has begun to drop noticeably since the year 2000, including a 7% drop between 2002 and 2003. It believed the lessened use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be the cause of the decrease; in 2002, Women’s Health Initiative published an article warning American women of the potential dangers of HRT.
• Thanks to advanced screening techniques, improved treatment technology, and an overall increase in breast cancer awareness, the number of women who die each year to breast cancer has decreased steadily since 1989. There will still be an estimated 40,000 breast cancer deaths in America in 2015, however.
• Only lung cancer leads to more fatal cases in women than breast cancer in America; skin cancer is the only form of cancer in women that is more frequently diagnosed, although it causes less deaths.
• Research indicates that Caucasian women are the most likely to develop breast cancer. Oppositely, Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women seem to have a lessened chance of developing it. Additionally, more African-American women pass away due to breast cancer complications than any other race or ethnicity. The reasoning behind this is still not fully understood.
• Nearly 3 million American women will have breast cancer or survived breast cancer treatment in 2015.
• Although only approximately 14% of women who develop breast cancer have a close member in their family who also has the same type of breast cancer, these women are twice as likely to develop it as someone with no close history of breast cancer. This is believed to indicate that genetics and subsequent gene mutations are the cause of many breast cancer cases. Researchers are currently looking into BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which seem to indicate a 45% to 65% increased chance of breast cancer development in women.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Less than 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
• Older women are more susceptible to developing breast cancer than any other group.

To support the efforts to find a cure for breast cancer, Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery will be donating 10% of revenue from breast surgeries performed between October 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 to the Tower Cancer Foundation in Los Angeles. TCF is an organization which provides grants for innovative scientific research, as well as patient support services to assist those battling cancer with the help they need.

*Patients must select their surgery date and provide deposit no later than October 31, 2015*

*Matching donations encouraged and always greatly appreciated*

Pictures from the Jessica M. Berman Wonder Woman Walk for Breast Cancer hosted by Tower Cancer Foundation & other events.