By Myra Bean
Breast cancer has gotten lot of attention over the years in the sporting arena after the NFL adopted the policy of allowing players to add pink to their uniforms in October as a sign of support. The practice has trickled down to the high school ranks and players are showing their support for the cause.

Because of this national awareness, millions of dollars have been raised to go towards a cure for all types of cancer. The National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/statistics, has released the following statistics about cancer.

In 2015, an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 589,430 people will die from the disease.

The most common cancers in 2015 are projected to be breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, colon and rectum cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, thyroid cancer, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, endometrial cancer, leukemia, and pancreatic cancer.

The number of new cases of cancer (cancer incidence) is 454.8 per 100,000 men and women per year (based on 2008-2012 cases).

The number of cancer deaths (cancer mortality) is 171.2 per 100,000 men and women per year (based on 2008-2012 deaths).

Cancer mortality is higher among men than women (207.9 per 100,000 men and 145.4 per 100,000 women). It is highest in African American men (261.5 per 100,000) and lowest in Asian/Pacific Islander women (91.2 per 100,000). (Based on 2008-2012 deaths.)

The number of people living beyond a cancer diagnosis reached nearly 14.5 million in 2014 and is expected to rise to almost 19 million by 2024.

Approximately 39.6 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes (based on 2010-2012 data).

In 2014, an estimated 15,780 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 were diagnosed with cancer and 1,960 died of the disease.

National expenditures for cancer care <http://costprojections.cancer.gov/expenditures.html>  in the United States totaled nearly $125 billion in 2010 and could reach $156 billion in 2020.
A few of the South Panola Tigers told why they wear pink with their uniforms. Demetrius Market wears it in honor of his “granny” who had breast cancer. “She did good with it. She hasn’t got it anymore. That’s a blessing,” Market said.

B. J. did not mention anyone specifically but for all his family members who have suffered with breast cancer.

Shaundrick Clark wears pink in honor of his grandmother, Katherine Clark, who died from breast cancer.

This week, the North Delta cheerleaders sported pink T-shirts over their uniforms.
These are just a few examples of what athletes are doing to show support for those who are or have gone through cancer.

The Institute warns that although death rates for many individual cancer types have also declined, rates for a few cancers have stabilized or even increased.

“As the overall cancer death rate has declined, the number of cancer survivors has increased. These trends show that progress is being made against the disease, but much work remains,” according to the NCI site.