Pink is a prevalent color around our communities this time of year — it serves as a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, according to medical experts, and the most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender — being a woman — and growing older. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, with the exception of skin cancers, and accounts for 30 percent of all new female cancers each year.

Only lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer each year, and the chance that any woman will die of breast cancer is 1 in 43, the cancer society reports.

But while breast cancer remains a killer of women, as always, early detection and treatment remain the best defense in fighting the disease. The proof is in the numbers — breast cancer death rates have decreased steadily since 1989 with an overall decline of 44 percent through 2022, the ACS reports. However, the ACS adds, incidence rates have been slowly increasing, by 1.4 percent for women younger than 50 and 1 percent for women older than 50.

When detected early, breast cancer has a five-year survival rate of 91 percent for all stages combined. For localized cancers, that number is 99 percent. However, African-American women are most likely to be diagnosed at a late stage, resulting in a higher rate of death for Black women — with only an 84 percent five-year survival rate, according to Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Mammograms are safe and the most effective screening tool used to find breast cancer, especially at the earlier stages, according to Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Approximately 316,950 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed this year, and 42,170 women will die from the disease, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society. The numbers also show there will be 2,800 men who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 510 will die from the disease.

In Ohio, the cancer society estimates, there will be 11,800 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women and 1,400 deaths from the disease this year. In Pennsylvania, estimates say there will be 13,650 cases diagnosed and 1,800 deaths, while in West Virginia, there will be an estimated 1,690 cases diagnosed and 280 deaths.

The National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health said that the average number of annual cases of breast cancer reported between 2017 and 2021 in Ohio included 61 in Jefferson County, 62 in Belmont County, 25 in Carroll County, 14 in Harrison County and 87 in Columbiana County. In West Virginia, the numbers were 23 in Brooke County, 31 in Hancock County and 42 in Ohio County. In Western Pennsylvania, the numbers were 1,201 in Allegheny County, 205 in Washington County and 173 in Beaver County.

Breast cancer death rates in this country continue to fall because determined and dedicated doctors, organizers and survivors are getting the word out: Early detection saves lives. Increased awareness and better treatments are making a difference.

We encourage all women in the community to examine their breasts, schedule a clinical breast examination and a mammogram. Several area organizations offer help to those who are seeking assistance in getting breast or cervical cancer screening.

Make the appointment. The only thing you have to lose is your life.