NFL Goes Pink to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

You may have noticed something different if you watched any National Football League games today - you saw a lot more pink than usual. The NFL's breast cancer campaign, "A Crucial Catch," was celebrated on-field, off-field, and on the sidelines. From pink-gloved football players to pink pom poms ruffling in the hands of cheerleaders, the NFL showed its support to promote preventative screenings to stomp out breast cancer.

A Crucial Catch is a coordinated effort with the American Cancer Society to bring greater awareness to breast cancer. One of the main issues A Crucial Catch aims to address is providing women in financial need life-saving mammograms that they could not otherwise afford to receive. A Crucial Catch also promotes increased funding, volunteerism, and greater research to work toward reducing the number of people facing breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Affects Hundreds of Thousands of Lives

The American Cancer Society estimates 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2009. Breast cancer is the second-highest cause of cancer-related deaths among women, claiming more than 40,000 lives in 2009 alone.

About one out of every eight women can expect to face breast cancer. However, because successful treatments are acheiveable for many breast cancer cases, the breast cancer death rate is about one out of 35 people. In fact, the ACS reports that breast cancer death rates have been decreasing overall because of better preventative measures -- such as screenings -- and better treatments.

Today, there are some 2-1/2 million people in the U.S. who are breast cancer survivors.

Breast Cancer Affects Men, Too

Most men who confront breast cancer are in the fight because their wives, girlfriends, sisters, mothers, aunts, and daughters have the disease. However, about 1% of those with breast cancer are men.

While male breast cancer is relatively rare, any man is at risk. The Mayo Clinic states most male breast cancer cases occur in men between the ages of 60 and 70. The prognosis for men and women with similar stages of breast cancer are about the same. As for women, awareness and early detection are key factors to survival.

Preventing Breast Cancer

Prevention is the best way to reduce your risk of facing breast cancer. The NFL's Crucial Catch campaign promotes preventative measures like eating a healthy diet, exercising at least 30 minutes a day five days a week, keeping your weight at a level healthy for your body frame, and getting cancer screenings -- like mammograms -- by age 40.

Resources:

NFL.com. "The NFL is Proud to Support the Fight Against Breast Cancer." October 4, 2009.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d812e36ef&template=with-video&confirm=true

American Cancer Society. "How Many Women Get Breast Cancer?" October 4, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_How_many_people_get_breast_cancer_5.asp?rnav=cri

Mayo Clinic. "Male Breast Cancer." October 4, 2009. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/male-breast-cancer/DS00661