Governor's Mansion lit pink thru Oct. 17 in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

BATON ROUGE – For the sixth consecutive year, the Louisiana Governor's Mansion will be lit pink thru Thursday, Oct. 17 in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Breast cancer is a disease that knows no boundaries and impacts too many of Louisiana's mothers, sisters, loved ones and friends," said Supriya Jindal, wife of the governor. "By lighting the Mansion pink, it's my hope that it serves as a reminder to all to take the steps necessary to detect breast cancer early."

Nationwide, an estimated 232,340 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually. In Louisiana, 3,630 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and about 650 will die from breast cancer in 2013.

Thankfully, with screenings and early detection, women have a 90 percent chance of surviving passed the five-year mark compared to 24 percent for late stage disease.

According the American Cancer Society (ACS), women over 40 years old are encouraged to receive regular breast cancer screenings, including a mammogram, every year.

The ACS recommends women in between the ages of 20 and 39 receive a clinical breast exam every three years.

For additional information on breast cancer and the screenings available throughout Louisiana, please visit the American Cancer Society's website, LBCHP's website and/or Komen.org.