Breast cancer awareness is an incredibly important topic of discussion in both men’s and women’s health. While breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women,there is good news in that death rates have fallen by about 1% a year since 2013. This is likely due to advances in early diagnosis and treatment. Screening for breast cancer remains a vital part in the chain of early diagnosis and treatment. The current guidelines can be found here by the American Cancer Society.
Bay Area Cancer Connections is a local group that hosts many support groups and seminars for breast cancer and other cancers. Their calendar can be found here.
Many of us have either personally been affected by breast cancer or know someone who has. We hope to see the rates of breast cancer continue to go down as researchers advance the therapeutics available. There are many organizations who typically organize walk-a-thons and other events. Over the last couple of years due to COVID many in person events have been canceled. The San Francisco Zoo, for example, hosted a breast cancer walk on September 26,2021 to raise funds and awareness. If you would like to donate, please visit Susan G. Komen website for more information. For now, keep supporting those in your community who are affected by breast cancer and if you are a woman, please follow the screening guidelines and schedule your mammogram. As always, please feel free to reach out to The Village Doctor team with any questions that you may have.
Prerana R. Sangani, MD, MPH, March 5, 2022
