I have some bad news and some good news. I also have a favor to ask. #Save1Challenge
Let's start with the bad news.
If you are a woman who lives in America, did you know your lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is 1 in 8? Did you know your lifetime risk of dying from breast cancer is 1 in 39? (To be fair, did you know your lifetime risk of dying is 100%?) I understand the numbers are similar outside of the US, but I only have data on the US. In fact, here's my source, go see for yourself.
It gets worse. If you are lucky enough to have 100 female friends, family members and colleagues... or quite frankly any women you care about in your life... than you'll probably have to watch 13 of them go through breast cancer treatment. You'll probably also have to watch 2 or maybe even 3 of them die from breast cancer. I don't wish that on anyone. (BTW: if you and your friends are drinking friends, the numbers are way worse.)
Unfortunately, it gets even uglier. The rate of breast cancer in the US is increasing- not decreasing. Below is a trendline based on data published by the American Cancer Society. I took the data and made a simple line chart showing both the actual data and the projected amounts based on the growth trend published in the paper. Think of it as our best guess at what will happen. (Did I mention I'm a certified economic forecaster and I love data?)
On the chart below the black line shows how many new cases of breast cancer occurred each year per 100,000 women from 1975 to 2019 in the US. They always calculate the rate per 100,000 women per year so that we don't confuse a larger population with increased rates of cancer. The pink line is an estimate (best guess) of future rates of breast cancer per 100,000 women per year based on the prior trends. It's like taking a ruler and drawing a straight line.
If you compare the value from 1983 which is the year I was born (yup, I'm turning 40!) with the projected value for 2088 (the year my 5 year old will turn 70) then you'd get a 66% increase (this is a bad trajectory).
Data Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2022 is an educational companion for Cancer Statistics 2022, a scientific paper published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. (This was taken from the American Cancer Society's website cancer.org)
So, in an overly simplified view of the world, this suggests that my 5 year old will have to watch 22 of her 100 female friends go through breast cancer and watch 3 to 5 of them die from it. (Assuming today's trends continue until 2088.... which is a MASSIVE assumption.)
Actually, let's talk about that MASSIVE assumption. Let's suppose the times they are a'changing... If you look at the chart above really really closely you'll see the black line gets steeper between 2018 and 2019. Now, this is the latest data we have and only time will tell, but if the trend is steeper than our daughters are in for a rude awakening. Let's hope it's a 1 year blip. Though generally speaking, I don't consider hope a strategy. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem the American Cancer Society is all that optimistic either. Here's a quote from a study published in 2022.
Breast cancer. In females, breast cancer incidence rates have been slowly increasing by about 0.5% a year since the mid-2000s. This rise in diagnoses is due in part to more women having obesity, having fewer children, or having their first baby after age 30. Declines in breast cancer mortality have slowed in recent years, probably related to rising incidence as well as unchanged mammography rates. - American Cancer Society
I'm sorry to be a kill-joy. It's just that, a lot of my friends are in the higher risk profile for breast cancer. (Yeah, like we'd go drinking together and didn't have kids until after building our careers.) And the thing is, I don't want to have to watch you go through what I went through. I definitely don't want to have to watch my daughters or nieces go through it. My mom and dad can attest to this, watching your child go through cancer treatment is not fun.
Not convinced cancer sucks? Sometimes people suggest breast cancer isn't that big of a deal anymore because they've 'basically cured' cancer and that treatment is really effective now. Yes, there is more hope than ever for breast cancer patients today. Treatment has become impressively effective. But, when it comes to cancer, I promise you an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...
Okay, on to some good news!
We don't have to be passive bystanders watching this train-wreck waiting to happen. We have a choice. It's not too late. And the best part, this choice doesn't involve your insurance company. It involves your kitchen.
A 2016 study that reviewed 12 previous papers concluded that following cancer prevention guidelines, which included AICR’s recommendations, linked to lower risk of cancer incidence and mortality in general. This paper found the greatest amount of evidence related to breast cancer, with seven of eight studies showing a reduced risk associated with adhering to the recommendations. The studies with breast cancer all included women ages 50 and older. American Institute for Cancer Research, aicr.org
Investigating whether following AICR’s recommendations linked to lower risk of breast cancer was the focus of another 2016 paper, with the conclusion finding that they do. This paper scored lifestyle data from approximately 31,500 Swedish women who were primarily post-menopausal. After 15 years of follow-up, the study found that women who met six to seven recommendations had a 51 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women meeting zero to two recommendations. For the most common breast tumor types, ER‐positive/PR‐positive, there was an association between meeting each additional recommendation and lower breast cancer risk. American Institute for Cancer Research, aicr.org
Like OMG! Can someone PLEASE get this research paper a brand manager? Seriously, they have proven how to cut your breast cancer risk IN HALF! And look how they said it. I have images of old dudes sitting around a table saying things like "Well, we don't want to pontificate on the precision of findings prematurely. Let's form a committee for further analysis." I mean I get why they have to do that, and I'm actually super appreciative of everything they do. They saved my life. Without them, I'd be dead by now. But seriously, this this the age of GIFs!
Did these findings make you want to sing "I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes and I am happy now living..." (If you know this reference, than I'M TALKING TO YOU!)
Or, did these findings prompt you to break out your sick ass dance moves? Which is obviously the....(Yeah, I'M TALKING TO YOU TOO!)
Finally, the favor.
I've already done my part. I took the time to research this and build this site. I've also shared it with more than 100 women. (And men, we know you love us.)
Now it's your turn. Here's my #Save1Challenge. If you enable 100 women with this information, then you can likely prevent 8 future cases of breast cancer, and potentially save one friend from dying of it.
Don't have 100 women to share this with? Take the mini challenge. Enable 16 women with this information, then you can likely prevent 1 future case of breast cancer. Don't let your friends go through what I went through.
Share this link: https://www.save1challenge.org/post/the-save-1-challenge-enable-100-prevent-8-save-1
Blow up Instagram! #Save1Challenge Twitter- we got this. Common ladies, I know you know how to spread the word. I've seen your cat and dog on Facebook.
Did you do it? Did you take the first step in saving a friend's life? Okay, now let's talk about you. Are you going to do it? Do you have what it takes? What about your daughter?
Oh, one more thing. I don't have any plans to make money from this site or challenge. Notice the lack of advertisements or sponsored links? That's intentional.
If this makes you mad and you want to give money, please give it to the doctors, scientists and policy makers who can use it to create real change.