Throughout the month of October, football players wear pink socks, high schools have pink pep rallies, and the community is encouraged to support cancer survivors with pink clothing. However, most people don’t truly know what breast cancer is. The magnitude to which breast cancer affects the world and population as a whole is not fully understood, and in order to change this, the science behind breast cancer’s devastation needs to be explained.

Breast cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that can be harmful to one’s health and well being. In a healthy body, damaged cells are continuously replaced with new, fresh cells through the process of cell growth. However, in the case of breast cancer, harmful cells, usually the result of genetic mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, clot together to form a lump or tumor in the breast. A tumor can either be benign, causing no risk of harm to health, or malignant, meaning cancerous with high potential to be dangerous. In more advanced stages of the disease, cancerous cells can travel to other parts of the body, especially the lymph nodes, causing harm and spreading  into the blood stream.

Most commonly, in 85 to 90 percent of breast cancer cases, a genetic mutation in the cells sparks the disease to come into action, simply due to older age or the effects of everyday life over time. However, in five to ten percent of cases, a genetic mutation is inherited from the mother or father. Those who inherit a genetic mutation of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes have a substantially higher risk of having breast cancer or other cancers in their lifetime. With new technology and medical advances, genetic testing is offered to this small percentage of people with a cancerous family history.

To the general population, there are many screenings and tests that can be conducted as preventative measures to avoid the disastrous effects of breast cancer. The most common and accurate way to identify a cancerous tumor is through a mammogram. Doctors recommend starting to get regular mammograms every two years after the age of 40. This can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer by a considerable amount. Other preventative steps against breast cancer include Breast Magnetic Resonance Imagining or an MRI.

No matter the cause or steps taken to prevent it, breast cancer continues to rip apart thousands of families every year. In 2016, an estimated 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 61,000 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Together, the world has brought much awareness to breast cancer and can continue to do this in order to prevent the catastrophic effects it creates. By getting screened today or simply spreading awareness of the disease, everyone can to their part to stop breast cancer in its tracks.