HAWC staying vigilant on breast cancer through Oct. month Published Nov. 1, 2011 By Nick Stubbs 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The MacDill Health and Wellness Center's push for awareness of breast cancer has been ongoing this month, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the fight against the disease that strikes one in eight American women will not end with October. This cancer, and women's health overall, is a priority of the HAWC, according to Susan Haley, health promotion dietitian at the HAWC. Haley wants to remind everyone that the breast cancer information booth just inside the main entrance of the fitness center has interactive displays and information on the disease, its detection and treatment. Lifelike models are available that can help women learn how to do breast self examinations and to recognize possible signs of tumors. The information is important because of the prevalence of the deadly disease. According to Haley, quoting Breastcancer.org stats, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in U.S. women. In addition, some 54,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer were seen in 2010. About 39,840 of those women were expected to die from the cancer. It is the number one cancer killing U.S. women, followed by lung cancer. The good news is awareness is up, treatments have improved and breast cancer deaths are down since 1990. Hormone replacement therapy, other treatments and early detection are believed to account for about a 2 percent drop in cases since 1990. While primarily a disease that strikes women, an estimated 1,970 men contracted breast cancer in 2010. About 20 to 30 percent of women who contract the disease have a family history of breast cancer. Another 5 to 10 percent can be linked to gene mutations inherited from patents. Some 70 to 80 percent of cases occur in women with no family history of the disease.