National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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• Introduction
• Utilizing Partnerships in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
• Additional Information

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women, except for skin cancer. Approximately 40,580 women will die from the disease this year. Deaths from breast cancer occur disproportionately among women who are uninsured or underinsured. Studies show that early detection of breast cancer can save lives. Therefore, many breast cancer deaths could be avoided by increasing cancer screening rates among women at risk. Timely mammography could prevent approximately 16 percent of all deaths from breast cancer in women older than 40 years.

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Utilizing Partnerships in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), helps low income, uninsured, and underserved women gain access to lifesaving screening programs for early detection of breast and cervical cancers.

The success of the NBCCEDP depends on the complementary efforts of a variety of national organizations and partners to help strengthen and maintain the Program’s infrastructure. CDC’s partnerships with Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) and The Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer provide a variety of education and outreach services to diverse populations.

Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC)
Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) is the first national nonprofit organization to target and mobilize men in the fight against breast cancer. MABC recognizes that breast cancer affects the entire family and emphasizes the important role of the husband or partner in caring for the breast cancer patient. MABC works with breast cancer patients, their husbands and partners, and doctors and other medical staff to educate them on the important role that they play in a woman’s treatment and recovery.

CDC has funded MABC for a 5-year period to support the MABC’s Partners in Survival Program. Through collaborations with other organizations, this program will reach African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, and their partners. By conducting workshops, developing culturally sensitive material, and translating material into Spanish, MABC’s Partners in Survival Program will teach skills to partners of cancer survivors that will improve men’s ability to care for and support their partners.

The Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer
The Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer is also being funded by CDC for a period of 5 years. Its mission is to 1) provide direct services to lesbians with cancer, their partners, and caregivers; 2) educate and inform the lesbian community about cancer; 3) educate the health care community about the special concerns of lesbians with cancer and their families; 4) and advocate for lesbian health issues in national and local arenas.

CDC funding will support the Mautner Project’s Spirit Health Education Circle (SHE-Circle) Program that provides broad-based cancer education addressing all aspects of prevention, including behavioral risk factors and screening, in a setting that encourages cancer prevention as part of a healthy lifestyle. The target population for the SHE-Circle Program is African-American lesbian women, whose race and sexual orientation combined are a powerful barrier to care.

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Additional Information

• NBCCEDP Fact Sheet
• Screening Guidelines
• NBCAM Promotion Guide*

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*Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.

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Page last reviewed: Thursday, October 07, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control