Yes, it's breast cancer awareness time again. You can easily tell from the plethora of products of a certain color. From t-shirts and hoodies to cereal boxes and yogurt containers to gloves and shoes worn by football players, the world is awash in pink this month.

October marks the annual deluge of all things pink that focuses our attention on the black and white realities about breast cancer. The reality of loss; when it's your mother, daughter, sister or friend, even one life lost to this disease is one too many. Other realities include the hard, cold facts of gender, age and genetics that can increase a woman's risk despite a true dedication to a healthy lifestyle.

Breast cancer awareness is all about determining the reality of every woman's risk factors and using that information, screening tools and advanced treatments to improve the odds and save more lives. It's aimed at educating more women and upcoming generations about the need to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages and the role of mammograms as a powerful screening technology.

However, there is an ongoing national debate about how best to use this technology. On Oct. 21, the American Cancer Society changed its guidelines for breast cancer screening. Across the country, physicians, cancer specialists and radiologists are weighing in on the new recommendations and again discussing when and how often women should get a mammogram. Despite differing opinions about timing, there is no question that mammography still provides the most effective breast cancer screening tool available to women today.

So with that in mind and all of those pink reminders, why is Utah still one of the lowest states in the country with regard to the number of women who get mammograms? In fact, our state ranked second to last in the nation last year according to Get Screened Utah. This grassroots movement is dedicated to improving cancer screening rates throughout the state. Its efforts are aimed at increasing the action, education and awareness of beneficial cancer screening and prevention measures available to Utah citizens.

Why all the fuss about more Utah women getting regular mammograms? Because there's no doubt that early detection of breast cancer saves lives and screening mammograms help to ensure that cancers are caught and treated while still small and most curable.

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month, so here are nine more facts for you:

1. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, according to the American Cancer Society, with women younger than 50 years of age showing the largest improvement.

2. More than 85 percent of women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. However, the risk is approximately doubled among women who have one first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with the disease, reports the American Cancer Society.

3. Data shows that 8 out of 10 breast lumps are not cancerous according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. That's good to know because discovering a lump in your breast can be frightening!

4. Breast cancer isn't always a lump. Watch for other symptoms including your nipple or another part of your breast pulling inwards, dimpling or puckering; sudden discharge from a nipple; itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple; localized pain that doesn't go away; thickening, redness or darkening of the skin on the breast or underarm area; unusual swelling and warmth, or a change in your breast size or shape.

5. Men get breast cancer too. The American Cancer Society reports that breast cancer is about 100 times less common among men than among women. That doesn't mean it doesn't affect men; about 2,350 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in males in 2015 and the disease will claim about 440 of their lives.

6. Many women are confused about when and how often to get a screening mammogram. That's because of recent controversy about whether women are getting mammograms too soon and too often — possibly leading to over-diagnosis and over-treatment. As a result, MountainStar Healthcare specialists recommend that women talk to their doctors about their individual risk levels and overall health, and get personal guidance on when and how often to get a mammogram.

7. Mammograms aren't fool-proof. Other technologies like ultrasounds and sometimes MRIs can and should be used as complementary diagnostic tools - but not as alternatives to screening mammography. Despite recent changes in the national guidelines, many OB/GYNs will still recommend breast self-exams and clinical breast examinations as an important screening tool.

8. Dense breast tissue hides cancers when they are small and easiest to cure; tissue and tumors both appear snowy white on a mammogram, making it like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm according to many radiologiests. This fact affects approximately 40 percent of American women. But there's good news; an automated ultrasound system improves cancer detection by nearly 36 percent in women with dense breasts and it is available at Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful.

9. Study findings show that women are more afraid of breast cancer than of any other disease — regardless of the fact that heart disease takes the lives of more females in this country, says the American Heart Association. In fact, the number one killer claims more women over 65 years of age than all cancers combined.

No one needs to fight breast cancer alone. Women deserve compassionate care that goes far beyond clinical diagnosis and treatment. At MountainStar, we believe that the right care doesn't just target the breast cancer; it embodies the fact that women are human beings with feelings, demands on their time and important roles in the lives of family and friends.

To schedule an appointment for a breast cancer screening, call 866-877-3999.

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