The video discusses the importance of breast cancer awareness and early detection campaigns, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. It features Maggie McGrath from Forbes Women in conversation with Kevin Hale and Ashley Miller from the National Breast Cancer Foundation. They emphasize the need for regular screenings and early detection to improve survival rates. Special attention is given to the updated age for recommended mammograms and why it's crucial for women to communicate with their healthcare providers about personal health plans.

The discussion highlights the increasing rates of breast cancer diagnosis while also noting the decreasing mortality rates, thanks to early detection and advancements in technology. The executives talk about barriers to care such as fear, misinformation, and lack of access in disadvantaged communities, outlining how programs like patient navigation help overcome these barriers. They also address social media's influence in raising awareness and aiding efforts to dismantle stigma around breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. invasive [ɪnˈveɪsɪv] - (adj.) - Tending to spread prolifically and undesirably or harmfully. - Synonyms: (aggressive, encroaching, spreading)

This year alone, 310,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

2. forefront [ˈfɔ:rˌfrʌnt] - (n.) - The leading or most important position or place. - Synonyms: (vanguard, cutting edge, lead)

Pink is certainly on the forefront of everybody's mind.

3. caveat [ˈkæviˌæt] - (n.) - A warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations. - Synonyms: (warning, condition, stipulation)

Now, I would caveat that by working with your doctor personally.

4. misinformation [ˌmɪsɪnfərˈmeɪʃən] - (n.) - False or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive. - Synonyms: (deception, falsehoods, untruths)

A lot of it is fear. It's misinformation.

5. mortality [mɔ:ˈtælɪti] - (n.) - The state of being subject to death; the death rate. - Synonyms: (death rate, fatality rate, morbidity)

Even since NBCF has been in existence since 1991, there's been a 60% decrease in the mortality rate.

6. barriers [ˈbæriərz] - (n.) - A natural obstacle or impediment that keeps things apart, or prevents access. - Synonyms: (obstacles, impediments, hindrances)

A lot of it comes down to barriers for care, right?

7. disparities [dɪˈspærɪtiz] - (n.) - A great difference that is often unfair. - Synonyms: (inequalities, imbalances, discrepancies)

When you talk about the disparities we see in...

8. compassionate [kəmˈpæʃənət] - (adj.) - Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others. - Synonyms: (sympathetic, empathetic, caring)

Some of the smartest, most kind and compassionate, and I want to stand up for researchers.

9. navigating [ˈnævɪˌɡeɪtɪŋ] - (v.) - To make one's way through something, often difficult or complex. - Synonyms: (maneuvering, steering, directing)

How does NBCF navigate that landscape...

10. tumors [ˈt(j)uːmərz] - (n.) - An abnormal mass of tissue which can be benign or malignant (cancerous). - Synonyms: (growths, masses, neoplasms)

Obviously, tumors can grow very fast.

Breast Cancer Diagnoses Affect More Than 300,000 Women In US Each YearBut Outcomes Are Improving

Hi, everyone. I'm Maggie McGrath, editor of Forbes Women here at Nasdaq market site. This year alone, 310,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. About 16% of those women will be under the age of 50.

It is October, so it is breast Cancer Awareness Month. And joining me now are two executives from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Kevin Hale, Ashley Miller. Thank you both so much for being here. Thanks for having us. So let's start broadly. What is your goal this October? I just read that 310,000 statistic. What is your goal in this particular month's breast cancer awareness campaign?

Yeah. You know, we are so proud that people think of MVCF during the month of October. Pink is certainly on the forefront of everybody's mind. The reality is we need people to think about us every day of the year, not just during the month of October. But it's important because when it is on the forefront of your mind, you prioritize your breast health. And the biggest message that we can encourage women to do is just to prioritize their screenings. We know that early detection saves lives. And for men to prioritize, you know, tell the most important women in their life to prioritize their screenings.

Now, Kevin, earlier this year, there was a national preventative task force that came out with updated guidance around the age for a recommended mammogram. It had been around 50. They lowered that to 40. But you were just telling me before we started recording, the National Breast Cancer foundation has always recommended the age of 40. So what is the guidance? When should people start getting screened? When should they start talking to their doctors?

We recommend 40, and we always have. Over the years, NBCF has been very connected to. We have a wonderful hospital network that we work with around the country, and we talk to them and communicate with them because they're always working on the ground, they're talking to patients and bringing people in for mammograms and seeing the numbers. And so our hospital partners had recommended from the very beginning, whenever there was any talk about it coming under 50 to 40 or 40, bumping up to 50, they recommended that we continue to keep it at 40. And so that's what we've recommended.

Now, I would caveat that by working with your doctor personally, it's very important that you get recommendation, because you may have a family history, you might be someone who would benefit from genetic testing. And so really, it comes back down to making sure that you're just communicating with your doctor and taking care of your own personal health.

I was just about to say a family history or a BRCA mutation could be very scary. When do you recommend genetic testing for someone you know? It just depends. You know, we're not the medical experts. We're certainly proud to be able to connect people to the individuals that are. But it's all about knowing your body. It's about knowing your family history. Like you said, we encourage women to speak to their healthcare provider because they know the particular circumstance that they're in. They know their family history, they know their current lifestyle, they know what's best for them. But to Kevin's point, I mean, definitely prioritize those screenings at the age of 40, unless you have a family history. And for example, if your mother had been diagnosed at the age of 32, your doctor would likely recommend that you begin your screenings at the age of 32. And then for more information on genetic testing, like I said, speak to your individual doctor.

Now, over the past few years, we have seen the incidence of breast cancer diagnosis and general cancer diagnosis increasing among young people. From your perspectives, is that because we're doing more screening, is it just we're more aware, or are the actual number of cases going up?

Well, I think that the most important thing to talk about first is that the mortality rate has decreased. Even since NBCF has been in existence since 1991, there's been a 60% decrease in the mortality rate, which I think indicates that we are doing a very good job and we need to continue to keep our foot on the gas on early screenings, because breast cancer, obviously, if you detect it early, you dramatically increase your chances of survival. It's nearly 100% statistical opportunity for you to survive if you detect it in stage one or stage zero when it's noninvasive. So for us, that's what we recommend. So, Ashley, the incident rate is going up, but the survival rate is also increasing. Yeah? Correct, absolutely. Incident doesn't always mean diagnosis, right? So we don't know why the rate is going up, but what we do know is that as technology is advancing, as we are detecting the breast cancer earlier, we are saving lives. To Kevin's point, when breast cancer is detected at the earliest localized stages, it's 99.9% survivable. The great thing about that is we can provide the resources to these women when they need it most.

A lot of it comes down to barriers for care, right? And so often people tell us, oh, so is that money? Is it access? Yes. Those are two main barriers to care that we can help with, but a lot of it is fear. It's misinformation. So we're really proud of the programs and services that we have that are genuinely working. As you see those mortality rates going down, we're saving lives together through those programs and services. When you talk about the disparities we see in the.

That women of color are diagnosed with and die at disproportionate rates compared to white counterparts, how does NBCF navigate that landscape and make sure disadvantaged communities are getting access to care, especially in this environment where we're seeing more and more communities without an OB GYN because of various reproductive health laws that have been the result of Roe v. Wade getting overturned? Well, I think, again, this goes back to trusting the facilities, the hospitals, the doctors, and everyone who are there in the community, in this specific community, and we work with them to find out what their needs are so we can meet those needs. Someone's needs in New York may be dramatically different than Georgia, and so working with them, they're going to tell us what is the most effective way to reach the community. For instance, we have a program at National Breast Cancer foundation called Patient Navigation that we've been very actively engaged in for the last 20 years. And patient navigation is the concept of taking the hospital out to the community. And so when the hospital is taking that ownership at that level and they're going out into the community, they're building a relationship with community leaders and with the individual women, and that starts to knock barriers down. That could, it could be language barriers, financial. And as that dialogue is happening, then there's a greater chance of meeting the specific needs. And so I think that's where we've seen in our work to make sure that we're in all the communities where anyone may not have equal access or opportunity to that care. And then we have a wonderful medical advisory council who's constantly giving us feedback on that and some really great representation from so many different groups that help us to understand what their needs are.

Ashley, you mentioned fear and shame, and I want to dive into that a little bit more because it is scary to go for a diagnostic test like a mammogram. Can you talk and maybe address the people who are feeling fear? And how do you help people overcome that?

No, absolutely. I mean, I have young children myself. Right. So the reality of women is that we don't prioritize ourselves. We want to remind women like us that the reasons that we're not prioritizing our breast health, that we're not prioritizing our screenings, are the very reasons we should so that we can be there for them. Right? In addition to that, I mean, that fear comes from not only just being there for your family, it could be your work. It's staggering when you see the numbers of women that don't return to the workforce after they've gone through a breast cancer diagnosis. But we're here for that. So if you think about MBCF and you talk about hope and the ways that we can instill hope, and you think about the breast cancer journey like a bridge, there's all these barriers to care. NBCF likes to encourage people to visualize that. Like, we come alongside the female, we take her hand, and we guide her across that bridge through programs like patient navigation. We're helping them eliminate the barriers to care, such as childcare. Something as simplistic as being able to find someone to have your child transportation. You know, maybe they need an Uber or a Lyft voucher. Maybe they need a bus voucher just to get there. But it's also, you don't hear anything after somebody says the word cancer to you. So that patient navigator, being there with you at those doctors appointments, being able to decipher the medical jargon, but also acting as an accountability partner, more often than not, the female serves as that, you know, in her home, in her workforce. And so it's really nice for them to be able to let somebody else take the reins, remind them what they need to come alongside them, and to ensure that fear isn't what prohibits these women from getting the care and the access that they need.

There was also a study where I think you guys found that false positive results affected a woman's likelihood of returning, turning to screening, which is not surprising. Right? You have a false positive, you go through the emotional rollercoaster, and you think, I am never doing that again. Kevin, can you talk about that study and what you take away from that?

Right. I think there's different things you can take away from that. Ultimately, what it comes back down to is that you should have the right and the ability to pursue a diagnosis or to track that down if you are presented with that. And so for so many women, maybe that experience was a negative experience, and they go, I don't want to go back through that again. But we would never recommend that someone just says, well, I'm going to take a few years off. I mean, for many reasons, obviously, tumors can grow very fast. It could be a completely different experience. So I just think that it's extremely important that you, and, you know, the viewers that are watching today that you trust your instincts and you need to be the one who decides if you're going to go track something down. And don't be concerned if you do get a suspicious finding. You need to communicate with your doctor and trust the team and ultimately follow your instincts.

When we talk about communicating with providers, there is also updated guidance around breast density and what that means. Can you talk about what is changing in this respect?

For a lot of women, they have a denser breast tissue and especially younger women. And so there have been some states that led out on this. From our home state in Texas, there's a law called Hinda's law, and this is before any kind of a federal law was put in place. And it came from a woman named Hinda, who essentially she had not been able to find a lump in her breasts on a mammogram. And so she did have a tumor, though, it turned out. And so through further diagnosis, she said, well, how did that happen? And that was how this concept, she learned about the concept of breast density and how mammograms are not as effective in many cases. And so that's where an ultrasound as a resource or as a tool to use for diagnosis is so effective. So it just depends on, again, it's highly individual. And that's what, if anything, we leave with you all today is that you as an individual are going to have to work with your doctor to figure out exactly what your particular personal health plan should be.

I see. So there is no federal law mandating an ultrasound for a breast density over a certain percentage, yet the laws are always changing. We hear some great things have been happening recently. I think if you'd like to reach out to us@mdsif.org to get the most updated in your state, or you know how we can help you, then please do.

As you talk about spreading awareness, I think about my own experience on social media, and I feel like some of the journalists I follow, some of the influencers who aren't necessarily cancer influencers, but they have posted selfies from their mammograms. So, Ashley, how effective and important are the roles of individual creators and influencers in this media environment?

I mean, we are so grateful that has taken on a world all of its own. Right? I don't think ten years ago even we thought that these social media influencers would be changing and paving the way for the breast cancer landscape, but we're grateful for it. I mean, the unfortunate reality is with one in eight women being diagnosed in her lifetime, we all know somebody, and I think it's just an incredible opportunity that these individuals are willing to use the platform so great to spread awareness. You know, people sometimes can be exhausted by it when they walk into a grocery store or when they scroll through their social media feeds. But at the end of the day, if that pink outfit that you see or that pink product reminds you to prioritize your breast health, then we're actually saving lives. So we've been exceptionally proud of the individuals we've been able to work with that bring it to the forefront, and when we can tie it back to a cause connection and really make it mission focused about helping women.

Now, you know, we're so proud to be one of the only individuals that really does keep the female at the forefront of everything that we do. And, you know, as well as prioritizing the caregiver, we know that if the caregiver isn't employed to do what they need for the female, that it won't be as effective and efficient as a breast cell journey. But these influencers have just, it's been amazing to work alongside several of them and to really be able to help more women and families when they need it most. And some of them I've seen haven't even been tagging you. They just speak to that shame and the fear, and they've even said, like, I did not want to do this. I was afraid to go. But I am reminding you all, if you see this, to go, and I've also seen people doing that with colonoscopy, so it's helpful.

And so it's also hopeful. And on the subject of hope, I know you're not scientists, so you can't speak to the specifics of what's happening in labs across the country, but is there a hope for a cure or a series of cures? Because, again, it's so individual. So one cure may not fit, but let's leave our audience with some reason to hope.

I think the stat that I used earlier, that we are making tremendous headway on decreasing the mortality rate, is it directly aligns with the tremendous research that's been done to isolate the different breast cancer subtypes and create treatment protocols for those individual subtypes. So what we want people to know is that you have a collective, worldwide effort to find cures. And we can't say cure, because there is no just, it's not a switch that's flipped where you say cancer is cured and it's on the Times Square billboards. It's going to be all of these small breakthroughs that have been happening that continue to isolate those subtypes and to be able to bring hope to people who have them, where in the past it would have been a death sentence. And now we're seeing so many wonderful breakthroughs, both in the medicines and the actual treatments and the medical technology. And I just want everyone to know that this is a global effort where some of the smartest, most kind and compassionate, and I want to stand up for researchers, if I may. We work with so many researchers, like our friends at MD Anderson, and these people are dedicating their lives to what they're doing. They're fully aware that it's affecting their family, everyone else. And so I'm so grateful that we have such a wonderful, wonderful community researching and then all the way out to the doctors and the nurses out in the community, it's a wonderful thing to be a part of.

Ashley, anything to add? Anything that gives you hope?

You know, what gives me hope is that it's bigger than all of us. It's certainly bigger than NBCF. National Breast Cancer foundation is one of the highest and most well respected in the entire world. We are the tangible expression of hope. We are coming alongside the women, like I told you earlier, and walking them through this journey, no matter where they may be. But it is a collective effort. I mean, it's going to take all of the breast health organizations in the world to come together. We have to break down the stigma that we're fighting for donor dollars, we're fighting for volunteers. If we work together collectively, we're going to find that cure. But we're also proud to be the organization that they work hand in hand with to send women that are going through it. So it really is a collective effort. And I think that when we work together, we're stronger together. And if we're going to deliver that hope to women and families when they need it most, it's going to take all of us.

Cancer Awareness, Forbes Women, Health Screening, Education, Technology, Social Media Awareness, Forbes