Breast cancer is a concern for everyone, but it is a tragedy for the Black community. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Black women in the U.S. Additionally, current data show Black women in the U.S. are about 40% more likely than white women to die of breast cancer, and they are also more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier age, at a later stage and with more aggressive types of tumors.
A healthier lifestyle starts with identifying how you want to feel. What is your biggest motivator? Do you want to have more energy throughout your day? Do you want to boost your mood? Do you want to be able to show up in a slightly better place for your loved ones? Take some time to reflect on how you want to feel and what it would look like to experience a day feeling that way.
Medicare now covers the cost of custom-fitting lymphedema compression garments for cancer patients. These garments improve health and quality of life for breast cancer patients, in particular, but out-of-pocket costs can make them unaffordable.
When you make a donation to Komen in February, the Milburn Foundation will match your gift. Your support helps make sure people affected by breast cancer have access to the resources they need.
When Andy Kahle learned she had breast cancer in 2010, she didn’t let it slow her down. “Find your passion, set your goal and race toward your own tirumph,” she said.
Meghan Coppinger had her first mammogram at the age of 30. “Thirty may be young, but breast cancer does not discriminate. While breast cancer’s two biggest risk factors are being born female and getting older, it is so important to discuss your own personal risk with your health care provider,” she said.
In a paper published in JAMA Oncology, Susan G. Komen grantee Eileen Morgan, Ph.D., and her team at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) studied how the stage at diagnosis of breast cancer differed in 81 countries across the globe. In this international collaborative effort, researchers reviewed studies that used population-based cancer registry data on over 2 million women, which allowed the research team to compare stage at diagnosis across various countries, age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) brought together over 10,000 doctors, researchers, patient advocates and trainees to showcase promising new discoveries in breast cancer research that could dramatically improve treatment options for patients.
After Kimberly Reinika’s mother passed away in 2019 from ovarian cancer, she worried that it would ultimately take her life, too. “That was the cancer I was checking for,” she said. But just a year after her mother’s death, breast cancer became Kimberly’s biggest concern when she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.
This January and February, when you make a gift to Susan G. Komen during one of our 24-hour matches, Komen’s Board will match your gift 4X.
Betty Vandeputte was sick in bed with COVID in August 2022, scrolling her Facebook feed when a post from Susan G. Komen made her pause. “It was a post about Pickleball for the Cure, and I thought it looked interesting. I called my friend and said, ‘I’m sick, but this is a great idea, and we should do it.’” With less than two months to coordinate and announce the event, they immediately got to work.
Patient advocates are helping researchers break new ground in breast cancer research today by providing patient perspectives and sharing personal experiences that will help advance science and save lives. Komen Scholar alum and Advocates in Science member Patty Spears is at the forefront of this exciting work that is rapidly changing the treatment landscape for patients with breast cancer.
