Wednesday starts the first of 31 days of breast cancer awareness all over the country. Symbolized by the color pink, the month of October has been designated the time of year to focus on breast cancer, remember those who have battled the disease, and to remember there are ways to get the upper hand.

One day that stands out during the next month is Oct. 17, National Mammography Day. A mammogram is one of the most important diagnostic tools when it comes to helping prevent breast cancer. Mammogram screenings are used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. They can also be used to investigate when a lump or other sign or symptom of breast cancer is found.

Mammograms are important because they have helped reduce the number of breast cancer deaths among women between the ages of 40 and 74. The preventative procedure is one of the best ways to battle breast cancer because, like with any cancer or disease, early detection means early treatment which translates to reducing the number of breast cancer deaths.

While regular mammograms are not recommended for women under the age of 40, self-checking for lumps or irregularities is another way to help yourself.

Something else to be remembered all month is that there are certain risk factors that could make a women more likely to contract the disease. Aging, having a family member who has or had breast cancer, giving birth to a first child after the age of 35, menstruation inconsistencies, being overweight, use of alcohol and genetics are all risk factors.

Be on the look out for the symptoms of possible breast cancer. They include finding a lump in the breast that persists past a menstrual cycle, swelling in the armpit, tender or painful breasts, changes in size, color, texture or temperature of the breast, an unusual discharge or a change in the nipple.

It’s important to see your physician immediately with the occurrence of any of these symptoms.

Breast cancer can be treated and has showed successful results. The earliest stage of the disease, when treated, has a five-year survival rate of about 88 percent. In this first stage the cancer hasn’t spread from the breast.

The worst and latest stage, stage IV, means the cancer has not only spread, but has affected other areas of the body that could include bones, brain, lungs or liver. This stage is much harder to treat and has a much higher mortality rate, so early detection can be the difference between life and death.

And while it may sound strange, breast cancer in men is not as uncommon as it was once thought to be. Though it only accounts for about 1 percent of all breast cancers, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were about 2,240 new cases of male breast cancer in 2013 that would cause around 410 deaths. It doesn’t seem like that many cases considering almost 40,000 women die of breast cancer each year. But a man’s lifetime risk of developing the disease has been estimated at about one out of 1,000.

Get checked. Don’t wait.