HJNO Nov/Dec 2024

56 NOV / DEC 2024 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS NURSING COLUMN NURSING 6. Breast cancer that is caught early has an almost 100% survival rate; even as late as Stage III recognition, the sur- vival rate is 72%. 7. Breast cancer screenings (mammo- grams) are covered by all insurance companies, even those included in the Affordable Care Act. 3 Research The foundation of early recognition and treatment is based on scientific research. In 1993, Evelyn Lauder and Larry Norton, MD, recognized the potential of research to tackle this disease, which, at the time, inspired fear and little hope. Lauder had been diagnosed years earlier with ear- ly-stage breast cancer. At that time, there were few options for treatment. Their vision was behind the Breast Cancer Re- search Foundation (BCRF), established in 1993 to offer the most current prevention, BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: Improving Early Recognition and Treatment to Improve Outcomes BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH is held every October as a campaign to raise awareness of the disease and to pro- mote recognition of symptoms and im- prove early treatment. It is a global effort that highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that breast cancer is themost com- mon global cancer with reports of 2.3 mil- lion new cases reported annually. 1 Many people are unaware that breast cancer oc- curs in both sexes and represents a quarter of all cancers occurring in women. Most concerning is that there is a 70% mortali- ty rate in settings with limited healthcare resources. Louisiana follows those trends with breast cancer representing the most frequently diagnosed cancer among wom- en in our state. The Louisiana Cancer Pre- vention and Control Programs reports the following breast cancer facts: 1. One in eight U.S. women will get breast cancer. 2. Only 5-10% of breast cancers are he- reditary according to Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention (CDC), meaning that anyone can get breast cancer even if there is no history of the disease in your family. 3. Black women are more frequently diagnosed with breast cancer in Lou- isiana and have a higher risk of mor- tality. 4. As reported above, men can get breast cancer, and, like black women, black men are more commonly diagnosed with the disease. 5. Being overweight and using alcohol increase the risk of breast cancer; the most recent statistics from the CDC report for 2023 identify Louisiana as one of 23 states to have an obesity rate above 35%. 2