AIP Marketing Alliance continues to support the American Cancer Society in the fight against breast cancer as part of the Real Men Wear Pink of Oakland County. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month with annual campaigns to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer as well as supporting donation efforts.

To provide an overview of how breast cancer continues to impact our lives, an estimated 290,560 new cases will happen this year, with the possibility of 43,780 deaths. Males also are affected by breast cancer, with an estimated 2,710 new cases and 530 deaths. In Michigan alone, an estimated 8,900 new cases and 1,390 deaths could occur in 2022.

If these numbers aren’t enough, the staggering number of people affected by breast cancer continues to impact all of us – through family, friends, co-workers, and more.

• Breast cancer alone accounts for 30% of newly diagnosed invasive cancers in women. Together, the 3 most common types of cancer in women — breast, lung, and colorectal — account for 50% of all new cases in women.
• An estimated 287,850 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2022. Incidence rates have increased slightly — by about 0.5% a year on average — since the mid-2000s. This may be due in part to increased obesity and women having fewer children or having their first child after age 30.
• An estimated 12% of women who are screened for breast cancer have an abnormal mammogram, but only 4% of these women have cancer.
• For women, the death rate declined 42% between 1989 and 2019.
• Not all women have benefited equally from this progress. The breast cancer death rate for Black women is 41% higher than in White women. The higher breast cancer death rate in Black women in part reflects the higher number of diagnoses of triple-negative breast cancer in Black women. Black women are twice as likely as women of other racial and ethnic groups in the US to be diagnosed with this harder-to-treat cancer.
• Black women do not have the same access to high-quality cancer care compared to white women. They are more likely to be screened at lower-resourced and nonaccredited facilities, to go longer between mammograms, and to wait longer for a follow-up exam after getting an abnormal result.

The American Cancer Society has a dedicated website page for information on breast cancer. Whether you or a loved one are worried about developing breast cancer, have just been diagnosed, are undergoing breast cancer treatment, or are trying to stay well after treatment, this detailed information can help you find the answers you need.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you will want to go to the American Cancer Society’s page, “If You Have Breast Cancer,” where they answer questions like “What is breast cancer?”, “Are there different kinds of breast cancer?”, “How serious is my cancer?”, “What kind of treatment will I need?” and “What will happen after treatment?”

Team AIP has already started fundraising to help the American Cancer Society’s efforts. We hope the generous donations continue to flow to our 2022 campaign as we look to surpass last year’s numbers.

“One year ago, at this time, I was watching one of my good friends go through operations, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments – she came out to events when she could despite her weakened condition,” said Darron Markwood, Team AIP captain and AIPMA Vice President of Marketing. “Last week, she was the honorary captain at Chippewa Valley’s annual game to fight cancer and is back to teaching at the school. Seeing her fight and continue the fight motivates me, and all of the Real Men Wear Pink as fighters and survivors motivate us to work even harder to make a difference.”

You should visit the American Cancer Society’s website for more information on breast cancer (and other types of cancer). Team AIP of the Real Men Wear Pink of Oakland County is asking for donations through our team website page, and we can get your receipts as needed. You also can contact Darron Markwood at darronm@aipma.com.