Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way – whether you have combated the disease yourself or lost someone you love.

In the United States, an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2015 and 589,430 people will die from the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide and the second-most common cancer overall. This year, an estimated 231,840 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S.

October is breast cancer awareness month and Susan G. Komen is that the forefront of education and awareness. In the islands, there are teams every year that participate in the organization’s 60-mile, 3-day walk.

The best way to find breast cancer early is to get screened. Talk to your health care provider about what screening tests are right for you. According to Susan G. Komen, a mammogram is an X-ray of the breast and it is the best screening tool used today to find breast cancer early. A mammogram can find cancer in its earliest stages, even before a lump can be felt. All women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year. If you are younger than 40 with either a family history of breast cancer or other concerns, talk with your health care provider about when to start getting mammograms or other screening tests, like an MRI, and how often to have them.

A clinical breast exam is done by a health care provider who checks your breasts and underarms for lumps or changes. Many women have it done when they get their annual exam. Women should have a clinical breast exam at least every three years between the ages of 20 and 39 and every year starting at age 40.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is not a death sentence, and early detection – of any kind of cancer – is the key to survival.