Breast Cancer Awareness month is in October, a campaign which works to promote awareness around the disease.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries, now part of AstraZenaca.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer - following non-melanoma skin cancer - among women in the United States, according to the CDC. Breast cancer is however, only the fifth leading cause of death.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month sprang forth from the "Day of Unity" in October of 1981, and the first official awareness month was observed in 1987, according to the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Both events are seeking to drive more awareness to the health and safety of individuals and families.
Breast cancer, when detected early, can be resolved with a higher likelihood of survival. Domestic violence is one hundred percent preventable.
A few weeks ago, the FDA approved the first ultrasound device that can be used together with standard mammography to check dense breasts for early signs of cancer, Margaret Hamburg, a Commissioner of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in a blog post.
"This is an important advance for those women with dense breasts, who account for about 4 in 10 women who undergo mammography. Their dense breast tissue had been difficult to examine, putting these women at risk for late detection of breast cancer when the disease is difficult to treat," Hamburg wrote.
"Today, 40 percent of all drug development is in cancer research, and a significant part of that work is focused on breast cancer. At FDA, we're proud that our experts contribute to this crusade by providing invaluable guidance to researchers and companies that are developing drugs as well as diagnostic and treatment devices for cancer," she noted.
