According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer was the most prevalent cancer in women in 85% of countries in 2022, making it one of the most commonly occurring cancers around the world. This October, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we've gathered five resources from the LabXchange library that explain how cancer develops, examine trends in cancer prevalence, and explore how to reduce one's own risk of cancer.
To work towards preventing cancer, we first need to understand how it develops. In this interactive by Lifeology, learn how normal cells can bypass the body's natural safety measures to developing into cancer cells.
Estrogen is a hormone that contributes to cardiovascular health, inflammation, cognitive health, and metabolism, but abnormal estrogen signaling in the endocrine system can cause cancer. Therefore, having a greater understanding of abnormalities in endocrine signaling can help researchers design drugs like Tamoxifen, which is used to prevent and even treat breast cancer. Learn more about estrogen signaling and targeted cancer therapies in this interactive scrollable: Endocrine Signaling and Breast Cancer.
We co-developed this interactive with Dr. Ashlie Cromer, Senior Medical Science Liaison, Cardiovascular at Amgen. Read our interview with Ashlie to learn more about her career journey.
Cancer is a complex disease that doesn't stem from only one cause. Nevertheless, there are things that we can all do throughout our lives to reduce our risk of developing cancer. In Cancer Risk and Prevention, a case study from the Jackson Laboratory, learn about the risk factors that contribute to cancer development, preventative measures, and where cancer research is headed next.
Thankfully, global mortality rates for most types of cancers—including breast cancer—have been dropping over time. View the global mortality trend of several types of cancer from 1990 to 2021 in an interactive map from Our World in Data: Cancer Death Rates by Type.
For more information on research, risk factors, and various therapies, we recommend watching Breast Cancer and Epidemiology, a videocast by oncologist Dr. Farah Zia. This informative lecture from the National Cancer Institute’s Translational Research in Clinical Oncology course provides an overview of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease.
Knowledge and early detection are vital tools in the fight against this cancer, which affects men and women alike. Learn more about proactive breast health through resources from the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
This article was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated.
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