Episode 49 - Breast Health

Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

In 2024, breast cancer is estimated to be the most common cancer in the United States, with the following statistics: 

• New cases: 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer are estimated to be diagnosed in women, and 2,790 new cases in men 

• Deaths: 42,250 women and 530 men are estimated to die from breast cancer 

• 5-year relative survival: 91.2% 

• Risk of recurrence: Highest in the first few years after treatment, and decreases over time 

To the alarm of experts, breast cancer diagnoses in women under 50 have been rising by more than two percent annually over the past five years. While breast cancer incidence in younger women is still low—about 49 per 100,000 in 2019, the most recent data available—it’s a deeply concerning trend, especially since women under 40 are nearly 40 percent more likely to die from their breast cancer than women over 40. Currently, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women aged 20 to 49 in the U.S.

Black women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with TNBC compared to white women aged 20 to 44. Also, studies show that Black women aged 20 to 39 are more likely to develop breast cancer of any subtype compared to younger women of other racial and ethnic groups and one-and-a-half times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to white women between the ages of 20 and 29.

 

Around 15% to 30% of all breast cancers in Black women are triple-negative.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of invasive breast cancer that does not respond to hormone therapy or HER2 drugs.

 

About one in five people with breast cancer have the HER2+ subtype. If your breast cancer is of the HER2+ subtype, your tumor has high levels of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). HER2 plays a role in the growth of cancer cells, which is why HER2+ breast cancer tends to be aggressive.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

• A breast lump or thickened area of skin that feels different from the surrounding tissue.

• A nipple that looks flattened or turns inward.

• Changes in the color of the breast skin. In people with white skin, the breast skin may look pink or red. In people with brown and Black skin, the breast skin may look darker than the other skin on the chest or it may look red or purple.

• Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast.

• Changes to the skin over the breast, such as skin that looks dimpled or looks like an orange peel.

• Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the skin on the breast.

 

https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/cancer/breast-cervical-and-colon-health-program

 

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For more information about the hosts, please visit their websites and follow them on social media:

Dr. Glenda Shepard - Doctor of Nursing Practice/Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner/Certified Nutrition Coach/Certified Personal Trainer/Certified Intrinsic Coach

https://www.triumphantwomancoaching.com/

FB - https://www.facebook.com/glenda.shepard1

 

Robin McCoy - Certified McIntyre Seal Team Six Coach and John Maxwell Team Trainer/Speaker/Coach

https://www.thewellnessfactor.coach/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/RobinRMcCoy

FB - https://www.facebook.com/robin.mccoy1

 

Produced by KB Podcasts

Music from https://app.soundstripe.com/