Despite the relative success of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in getting Americans to “think pink,” a new survey from the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) reveals potentially critical knowledge gaps among American women. Despite the fact that 61 percent of those surveyed reported having recently heard or read something about breast cancer and 76 percent consider themselves knowledgeable about breast cancer, the survey shows that awareness is not translating into knowledge.
A majority of respondents (56%) believe that most breast cancers occur among women with a family history or a genetic predisposition to the disease. The reality is that over two-thirds of women diagnosed have no known risk factor. Even though having an inherited mutation in certain genes is the most potent risk factor, the National Cancer Institute states that these genes are rare in the general population and are estimated to account for no more than 5 to 10 percent of breast and ovarian cancer cases overall." Breast cancer is expected to claim the lives of some 40,000 women in the United States this year.
Want more facts? Visit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's fact page.
~ Lisa
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