During the next several weeks you’ll see a lot of people wearing pink ribbons, gloves, t-shirts and other clothing or accessories. No, the world has not gone pink crazy.

It’s October. It’s breast cancer awareness month. Also during the next several weeks, you’ll see a lot of events geared toward raising awareness of breast cancer. Some local events are planned.

Here are a few facts: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States other than skin cancer.

The American Cancer Society has estimated 192,370 new cases will be diagnosed this year among women. Another estimated 40, 170 are expected to die from the disease this year. But here’s the good news: about 2.5 million survivors of breast cancer live in the U.S.

Generally, when we think about breast cancer, we think about women, but men can also develop breast cancer.

Men have less breast tissue, but the cancer is possible, although it makes up less than 1 percent of all cases of breast cancer. The American Cancer Society points out most lumps in the breast that occur in men are gynecomastia or an increase in a man’s breast tissue. But it’s important to find out the diagnosis from a medical professional.

Putting off tests or not performing a self-check is risky behavior. Know what to do. The earlier one is aware, the better the chances for survival.