Breast cancer can strike anyone, and that’s who Albie Aware helps… Anyone!
Albie Aware provides immediate support to anyone facing a breast cancer diagnosis, going through treatment, or living as a survivor. Young or old, woman or man, insured or not. If your life has been upended by breast cancer, please call us.
Albie Aware is Here:
- To help you navigate through this journey.
- To refer you to an oncologist, plastic surgeon or for a second opinion.
- To advocate for you at appointments and treatments.
- To assist with the cost of diagnostic testing, including mammograms.
- To provide you with factual information.
- To offer you emotional support.
Do you identify with any of these groups?
African American and White Women…
get breast cancer at about the same rate (approximately 130 per 100,000 women), but tumors in African-American women are more likely to occur at a younger age, and they have a 40% higher death rate than white women. Hispanics, Asians, and North American native populations have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, but it does occur in these populations. Breast cancer is a very democratic disease.
Hispanic American Women…
are seeing an increase in diagnoses of breast cancer. Incident rates of breast cancer have increased (0.4% annually) from 2006 to 2015 but remains 29% lower than African American and white women. There were an estimated 24,000 cases diagnosed in 2018.
Asian American Women…
are more likely to get breast cancer if they migrated to the U.S., rather than U.S.-born. Immigrant Asian American women who have lived 50% or more of their life in the U.S. were on average 3 times more likely to have breast cancer than US-born Asian American women. This is a shift in what previous research has shown. Although Asian American women have lower occurrence rates than whites, all Asian American groups, with the exception of Japanese, experienced an overall incidence increase. The largest increase was observed among Koreans, South Asians, and Southeast Asians.
Women With a Family History of Breast Cancer…
live with an increased risk of getting the disease. Your chances of developing breast cancer double if a close blood relative (defined as mother, sister, or daughter) has also had it. The risk is FIVE TIMES greater if two of these family members have been afflicted with the disease. In the case of a family connection to breast cancer, research indicates that a mutation in specific genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) may be a significant factor.
Women of a Certain Age…
must face the reality that breast cancer is yet another risk associated with aging. The risk rises from about 1 percent for a 20-something to about 77 percent at age 50+.
Women With a Personal History of the Disease…
run a higher risk of getting it again. An increased risk also applies to women who may have had radiation therapy to the chest or breasts for any reason when they were younger. Follow-up care and heightened awareness are essential if you are a breast cancer survivor.
Women Who Do Not Have Children…
have a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer, as do women having a first child after age 30. Conversely, if you did have children and breast fed them, you may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.
Men…
can get breast cancer too! The odds are about one in a thousand, but it happens. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2019 that there will be about 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed and 500 men will die from it in the U.S. Albie Aware is here for men too!
Sources
National Cancer Institute – SEER Cancer Statistics Review
American Cancer Society – Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics/Latinos
American Cancer Society – Breast Cancer Risk Among Immigrant Asian American Women
American Cancer Society – Key Statistics for Breast Cancer in Men
Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Breast Cancer Rates Among Black Women and White Women
University of California San Francisco – Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – What Are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?
National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. – Male Breast Cancer