Welcome to the Mission Matters blog. Each month we will have new topics that are important to know about as we Fight Back against a disease that takes too much. This blog will post the middle of each month. In addition to the Mission Matters blog, we also have a Mission Matters newsletter and a monthly conference call.

The Mission Matters call this month is Tuesday, September 18 at Noon Eastern and 8:30 PM Eastern. To join the call, please call 1-800-910-2399, passcode: 487160. Mission Matters Call Schedule.

This month we are focusing on Advocacy accomplishments and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and ways you can Fight Back through Advocacy and we will give you some quick facts and tips about breast cancer, as you get ready to fight back against breast cancer in October (and all year long). October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Did you know we saw the following accomplishments this past year because of the work of ACS CAN?

Research
In 2005 and 2006, Congress and the President cut funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), potentially slowing the pace of progress in this life saving research. ACS CAN fought back and led the movement in Washington to change this dangerous trend. We won the first increase in funding for NIH and NCI in three years (resulting in $637 million new dollars for NIH for FY2007).

Cancer Promise
The ACS CAN Cancer Promise asks legislators to promise to make health system reform a priority; elevate prevention, early detection, and survivorship; increase their commitment to research; and expand access to care. More than 340 members of Congress have signed the ACS CAN Congressional Cancer Promise, and pledged to make cancer a federal legislative priority. Since The Promise was so successful, we are going back again to make sure that they keep their promise. This September, ACS CAN volunteers from every Congressional District in the nation will be making their way to DC to meet with their US Representatives and Senators and ask them to keep their promise.

States Smoke-Free Success
During the past three years, ACS CAN has played a significant role in statewide smoke-free campaigns which protect the health of millions of workers and patrons. ACS CAN's work has been integral to achieving 23 smoke-free states plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. This means that 57 percent of the population currently lives under smoke-free laws at the state and local level. ACS CAN is currently working in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on state-wide smoke-free laws.

Breast Cancer in the United States

• An estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the United States during 2007.
• About 2,030 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in women.
• An estimated 40,910 breast cancer deaths (40,460 women and 450 men) are expected in 2007.
• Breast cancer ranks second among cancer deaths in women (after lung cancer).
At this time, there is no guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer, which is why regular mammograms are so important. A woman's best overall preventive health strategies, besides regular mammograms, are to:

• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Engage in regular physical activity
• Reduce alcohol consumption

Other than these lifestyle changes, the most important action a woman can take is to follow the American Cancer Society's early detection guidelines, which can help find breast cancer when the likelihood of successful treatment is greatest.

Early Detection
• Studies show that early detection, when followed by appropriate treatment, saves lives and increases treatment options. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 98 percent among individuals whose cancer has not spread beyond the breast at the time of diagnosis.
• Mammography is especially valuable as an early detection tool because it can identify breast cancer at an early stage, usually before physical symptoms develop.

Check out the Fight Back page to learn more about ways you can Fight Back against Breast Cancer and check back for the October edition of Mission Matters for more information on Breast Cancer Awareness and how your American Cancer Society is helping people facing breast cancer.

And our next Mission Matters call is October 16- Breast Cancer Awareness & Tobacco Awareness. Hope you can join us