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Breast Cancer Awareness Month: A Reminder of Strength, Screening, and Support

Every October, pink ribbons appear everywhere - on storefronts, social media feeds, and hospital hallways - reminding us that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is more than a campaign. It’s a reminder to take care of ourselves, to support those in treatment, and to never underestimate the power of early detection.

A young woman hugs her mother who has undergone chemotherapy


A Snapshot of Breast Cancer in The United States

So far in 2025, there has been an estimated 316,950 new cases of breast cancer, with more than an estimated 42,000 lives lost to the disease. While the majority of diagnoses occur after age 40 (with the median age being 63), younger women are not immune.


Black women face the highest death rate from breast cancer, partly due to a higher risk of developing aggressive, triple-negative forms of the disease. Among Black women in their 20s, the risk of breast cancer is 53% higher than that of white women of the same age.


Yet there’s hope. While diagnoses have risen in recent years (thanks in part to more consistent screenings), the overall death rate has steadily declined.


When and How to Get Screened for Breast Cancer

The American Cancer Society recommends for low-risk women:

  • Ages 40-44: optional yearly mammograms

  • Ages 45-54: annual mammograms

  • Ages 55+: mammograms every other year


An older woman getting a mammogram done by a female doctor

While regular self-breast exams can help find changes in one’s body early, screenings by medical professionals are still vital in ensuring physically undetectable growths can be identified and treated earlier rather than later.  



Beyond the Pink Ribbon: Other Cancers on the Rise in Women

While breast cancer dominates the conversation in October, other forms of cancer affecting women (especially younger women) should not go forgotten.


Lung Cancer: A Hidden Threat

Over the past 20 years, lung cancer rates have fallen in men but increased in women. 

Diagnoses among women have surged 84% in the last four decades, even though nearly a quarter of women have never smoked. While healthcare professionals are still grasping at why non-smoking women are seeing this spike in lung cancer cases, many consider environmental factors such as poor ventilation while cooking and radon exposure as a key contributing reason.


Compared to other forms of cancer, lung cancer is often difficult to detect in early stages with the main screening method, CT scans, often being reserved for high-risk individuals with a history of smoking. 


Early signs you can monitor for:

  • Bronchitis that perpetually returns

  • Chest pain that worsens with deep breaths, coughs, or laughs

  • Feeling weak and tired

  • Shortness of breath

  • Sudden or unexplained weight loss

  • Couching up blood

  • Hoarseness in voice


Colorectal Cancer: Not Just an Older Person’s Disease

Colorectal cancer is now the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, affecting 1 in 26 women across their lifetime. Even more concerning, diagnoses in people under 50 have doubled, now making up around 10% of all cases.

Since 70% of patients show no early symptoms, regular screenings, such as colonoscopies or FIT tests starting at age 45, are essential.

Early signs you can monitor for:

  • Rectal Bleeding

  • Stomach pain

  • Changes in bowl habits

  • Feeling tired or weak

  • Weight loss without trying

  • Bloating after eating

  • Nausea or vomiting



Supporting Women Through Every Step of Care


A woman in a nursing uniform helps an older woman out of a vehicle

Cancer care isn’t just about the treatment itself - it includes everything surrounding treatment as well: the doctor visits, the tests, the infusion appointments, the exhaustion, and the uncertainty. There are a myriad of ancillary services that can make a patient’s cancer care plan more manageable, like access to safe, reliable, and compassionate transportation.


At MedTrans Go, we believe that access to care shouldn’t depend on access to a car. Whether you or someone you love needs transportation to a screening, diagnostic appointment, or ongoing treatment, we’re here to help you get there safely, comfortably, and on time.


Are you an individual in need of transportation to a screening or treatment?


Do you work at a medical facility and need a reliable transportation option for patients?


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