To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this week’s edition of the Star Journal is on pink paper. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women-only lung cancer surpasses it. According to the American Cancer Society’s website, cancer.org, more than 232,000 cases of invasive breast cancer will have been diagnosed in women this year, with more than 64,000 cases of non-invasive breast cancer diagnosed. The organization estimates that more than 39,000 women will die from breast cancer this year.

Although breast cancer claims thousands of lives every year, there is good news. Female breast cancer rates began dropping in 2000, and then fell by about 7 percent from 2002 to 2003. According to the American Cancer Society, there are now more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. With earlier detection, improving treatment options and increased education, the fight against breast cancer is a fight that can be won.