GUEST COLUMN: Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Going Beyond Pink Ribbons
By Lindsey Baker
As we close out Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2024, I continue to hope that we move beyond “awareness” into real advocacy and action.
Pink ribbons surround us, placed on everything from soda cans to hummus containers. As a 3+ year breast cancer survivor diagnosed at 35 years old, I hope the influx of pink becomes more than a marketing tactic. I want to see a genuine push to focus on screening, understanding risk factors and education on risk reduction. Early detection saves lives! And I am incredibly thankful that it saved mine.
In 2023, the American Cancer Society lowered the recommended age at which to start getting mammograms from 50 to 40. While this movement is positive in creating screening for women ages 40-49, more women, myself included, are being diagnosed in their 20s and 30s—well before the recommended screening begins. This month, The New York Times reported that a recent American Cancer Society report showed that “breast cancer incidence rose by 1% a year overall from 2012 to 2021. But women in their 20s, 30s and 40s experienced a 1.4% annual increase in incidence…. The new study is one of several documenting a troubling uptick in malignancies among younger Americans.”
As a young survivor, I have personally met hundreds of women in their 20s-40s who have received a breast, ovarian, cervical, or colorectal cancer diagnosis over the past several years. It is important to know your normal.
You know your body better than anyone, and it is critical to be attuned to any unusual changes. I learned about “Feel it on the First” from The Breasties, a nonprofit organization that supports the breast and gynecological cancer community. The practice encourages monthly breast self-exams at the same time every month, allowing individuals to identify any changes month over month. While self-exams do not replace mammograms, becoming aware of your breast health could save your or a loved one’s life. In my case, despite having completed breast imaging less than six months before my diagnosis, I developed a palpable lump in between scans. I believe performing self-exams and discovering my lump in the shower is one reason I am here today.
Many people assume the majority of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. Research, however, estimates only 5-10% of breast cancer is hereditary. For me, prior to my diagnosis, no close family members had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Key risk factors include age (breast cancer is more common as you age), genetic mutations (I do carry the BRCA1 mutation), the age at which you began menstruation, having dense breasts, a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and previous treatment using radiation therapy. I had dense breasts, so much so the mammogram did not detect my tumor. It is important to ask about your breast density, and if you are told you have dense breasts, to request an ultrasound and/or MRI in addition to a mammogram.
We have no control over the risk factors listed above, and I want to stress how pivotal it is to know which, if any, of these factors relate to you and to have a breast health risk assessment—or encourage loved ones in your life to do so—starting at the age of 25, or earlier if you have a family history of breast cancer. There are also risk factors correlated with breast cancer that we do have the possibility to manage, some of which include not being physically active, being overweight or obese, taking certain hormones, drinking alcohol, and smoking.
Much is still unknown, but it is critical to follow research advances in environmental factors (food consumed, plastics, etc.). It is also vital to focus on preventative health. I would be remiss not to share that I have met breast cancer survivors who were marathon runners and others who never smoked or drank, who, regardless, received the shocking news of a cancer diagnosis. That is why knowing your normal, getting screened, and understanding and reducing your risk is crucial.
Lastly, it is essential to advocate for yourself and others. Too often, I have met fellow survivors who were dismissed by their physicians when raising health concerns. Severe racial disparities exist for treatment and survival rates. The breast cancer mortality rate for black women is 40% higher than for white women. Racial disparities in treatment need to be eliminated, and more research studies need to include representation from individuals of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
This past summer, I had the opportunity to attend Camp Breastie, a four-day retreat that mixes the best of summer camp with an engaging conference for members of the breast and gynecologic cancer communities. I had the privilege of serving again as a cabin leader. Just two months after camp, a fellow Breastie who was in my cabin was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic disease and passed away within weeks of her recurrence diagnosis. Mary was 37. Breast cancer isn’t just pretty pink ribbons; it is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women under 40.
As October comes to a close, I hope the influx of pink drives us, our families, businesses, and communities to do more than just be aware, but to truly advocate for increased research and reduction in treatment disparities, and for all of us to take action in our own health screening and disease prevention.
Lindsey Baker is a cancer survivor, patient advocate, and nonprofit consultant. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Emory University.
