Breasts: Facts to know

This October, ditch the pink and spread breast cancer awareness with these facts related to breasts.

1. The average woman in the United States wears a size 40 D bra. This works out to about 3 pounds total, or 1.5 pounds per breast.

2. The left breast is usually slightly larger than the right in most women. Only a small percentage of women have perfectly symmetrical breasts. It is normal for the right and left breasts to differ in size by up to 20%. Sudden changes, on the other hand, are not normal and should be discussed with your doctor.

3. Breasts typically grow for two to four years after a girl’s first period.

4. Breast cancer is the second most lethal cancer in women. The first is lung cancer.

5. Men can get breast cancer too. There will be an estimated 2,190 new cases of male breast cancer in 2014. Peter Criss of the rock group Kiss is a breast cancer survivor.

6. Women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by watching their weight, quitting smoking, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol intake, and avoiding or limiting menopausal hormone replacement therapy.

7. The state with the highest incidence of breast cancer is Massachusetts. According the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are 139.5 new cases per 100,000 female residents in the state.

8. The state with the lowest incidence of breast cancer is Arkansas. The CDC reports 101.9 new cases per 100,000 female residents.

9. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has found evidence that night-shift work might be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

10. By the end of 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to have been diagnosed in American women. An additional 62,570 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer are expected as well.