Last year, more than 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer were estimated to be diagnosed. 1 in 8 women is expected to receive a diagnosis during the course of her lifetime, according to BreastCancer.org.
It's nearly impossible to find someone today who hasn't been affected in some way by the disease -- with a mother, a sister, a grandmother or a friend diagnosed at some point.
But sometimes those women are more well-known. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, we rounded up just a few of the inspiring faces of breast cancer over the past several years.
Wanda Sykes
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In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres aired last month, Wanda Sykes revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy."I had breast cancer. Yeah, I know it's scary," Sykes said in the interview. "This was in February. I went for the reduction. I had real big boobs and I just got tired of knocking over stuff. Every time I eat ... Oh lord. I'd carry a Tide stick everywhere I go. My back was sore so it was time to have a reduction."
After the reduction, the pathology report found ductal carcinoma in situ in her left breast, which prompted Skykes, who has a family history of breast cancer, to opt for a double mastectomy.
And while the diagnosis is scary, she hasn't lost her signature humor.
"I was like, 'I don't know, should I talk about it or what?' How many things could I have? I'm black, then lesbian. I can't be the poster child for everything ... At least with the LGBT issues we get a parade, we get a float, it's a party. [But] I was real hesitant about doing this, because I hate walking. I got a lot of [cancer] walks coming up."
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