While awareness of breast cancer is high, a new survey released on October 1 by the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) reveals potentially critical knowledge gaps among American women and a sense of urgency about the nature of progress required in the research and treatment of breast cancer, which is expected to claim the lives of some 40,000 women in the U.S. this year.
For example, the survey found that:
Related Posts: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: “these genes are rare in the general population and are estimated to account for no more than 5% to 10% of breast and ovarian cancer cases overall.
