(ARA) - One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States.

Whether you've been affected by it personally, or one of your friends and family has been diagnosed, it seems everyone has a story to share due to the prevalence of this disease.

"My mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, so I've come to truly learn the importance of education and early detection," says Carrie Ann Inaba, "Dancing with the Stars" judge. "A lot of women don't know that when breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent."

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is considered a heterogeneous disease - differing by individual, age group and even the kinds of cells within the tumors themselves.

Women can do many things to lower their risk of breast cancer, including getting regular exercise, following a healthy diet and cutting back on - or eliminating - alcohol intake and smoking.

In addition, early detection of breast cancer is crucial. The 5-year survival rate of a stage one diagnosis is 98 percent. Stage two still has a very high 5-year survival rate of 88 percent.

Conducting a breast self-exam at least once a month is important for all women. After the age of 35, women should get a mammogram once a year also. If a lump is discovered, it doesn't necessarily mean you have cancer. Eight out of 10 breast lumps are benign, or not cancerous. But the only way to know for sure is to speak with a physician.

Take charge of your health by performing routine breast self-exams and scheduling regular mammograms. Having trouble remembering how often you should do these? You're not alone, but there's an easy way to remember.

As part of Procter & Gamble's (P&G) partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc., the GIVE HOPE program educates women about breast cancer in hopes of saving lives. You can visit www.mypinkplan.com to learn more and use an interactive online tool to create a customized Early Detection Plan  using e-mails, text messages, RSS feeds and/or calendars for clinical and self-exam reminders.

There is a way you can help others as well. The GIVE HOPE program seeks to educate 5 million women about the importance of early detection. On Sunday Sept. 27, a special GIVE HOPE supplement will be available in newspapers across the country. For every GIVE HOPE brandSAVER coupon redeemed, P&G will donate two cents to the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. Over 3 billion coupons will be distributed, and the donation from P&G will be solely based on the number of coupons redeemed.

The money from this donation will help the NBCF fund early detection education programs across the country. There is no cap on the P&G donation, the more coupons redeemed, the greater the donation, so these coupons could be a great way to help save countless lives.

Approximately 2 million women in the United States currently live with breast cancer. Obviously no woman wants to receive this diagnosis, but hearing the words "breast cancer" doesn't always mean an end. It can be the beginning of learning how to fight, getting the facts, and finding and living with hope.

Courtesy of ARAcontent