October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month when worldwide annual campaigns are carried out to highlight the importance of breast cancer awareness, education and research. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast and can gradually spread to other parts of the body.

With the help of regular mammography screening, breast cancers can be found at an early stage. The most common sign of breast cancer is a lump formation in the breast. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. may develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.

Breast cancers can start from different parts of the breast, with the most common ones beginning in the ducts that carry milk to the nipple (ductal cancers). Some start in the glands that make breast milk (lobular cancers). It can spread through the lymph system, which includes lymph nodes, lymph vessels and lymph fluid found throughout the body.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

15 inspirational quotes to share during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

  • "Breast Cancer has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live." - Angelina Jolie
  • "People used to say everyone knows someone who’s had breast cancer. In the past few weeks, I’ve learned something else: Everyone has someone close to them who has had breast cancer." - Debbie Wasserman Schultz
  • "I started realizing I could be an example for women to not just be aware of breast cancer but to act on it, to make an appointment, to give themselves an exam." - Giuliana Rancic
  • "Well, the first thing that clued me in to the fact that there was something really scary about breast cancer, way beyond the thought of dying, was coming across an ad in the newspaper for pink breast cancer teddy bears. I am not that afraid of dying, but I am terrified of dying with a pink teddy bear under my arm." - Barbara Ehrenreich
  • "I’m happy to tell you that having been through surgery and chemotherapy and radiation, breast cancer is officially behind me. I feel absolutely great and I am raring to go." - Carly Fiorina
  • "One important thing to know is you’re still the same person during it. I’m more eager than ever to do what I did. I want to do everything." - Kylie Minogue
  • "Breast cancer deaths in America have been declining for more than a decade. Much of that success is due to early detection and better treatments for women. I strongly encourage women to get a mammogram." - Larry Craig
  • "There can be life after breast cancer. The prerequisite is early detection." - Ann Jillian
  • "My goal is people associate November with COPD awareness month as much as they notice October with breast cancer and pink. That’d be a great thing if it happened. The fact that COPD kills more people than breast cancer and diabetes put together should raise some red flags." - Danica Patrick
  • "I’ve always thought of myself as being a warrior. When you actually have a battle, it’s better than when you don’t know who to fight." - Carly Simon
  • "Whenever women struggle with breast cancer and face better care than ever, that’s feminism." - Bell hooks
  • "Once I overcame breast cancer, I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore." - Melissa Etheridge
  • "I have a new found respect for women who have been through breast cancer and this surgery." - Giuliana Rancic
  • "Breast cancer is being detected at an earlier, more treatable stage these days, largely because women are taking more preventive measures, like self-exams and regular mammograms. And treatment is getting better too." - Elizabeth Hurley
  • "With over 3 million women battling breast cancer today, everywhere you turn there is a mother, daughter, sister, or friend who has been affected by breast cancer." - Betsey Johnson
  • "I plan on … encouraging so many women who are out there, who are still in the thick of it, who have yet to fight this fight, that you can do it, you can get through this one step at a time." - Amy Robach
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