National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an excellent time to remind women of the need to be on guard against a killer estimated to end the lives of 43,900 women this year. The disease is the second leading cause of death for women aged 40 to 55, but they are not the only ones who need to take precautions.

College-aged women also are at risk for developing breast cancer. According to the National Alliance of Breast Cancer, one out every nine women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

It is important for women, especially those in college, to understand the need for check-ups and self-examination. By learning the proper techniques, women can detect cancer early enough to fight it successfully. Alliance studies show that the five-year survival rate for early-stage cancer treatment is more than 97 percent.

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Although it is at the forefront of attention this month, women must be conscious of the dangers year-round, because cancer does not appear only once a month. It can strike at any time, but with early detection and treatment, it can be cured.

Women on campus should take advantage of the display in the Student Health Center in the Student Center this month to learn more. Students can go the Student Health Services with questions and concerns, and the Memorial Hospital of Carbondale has a mammography center for women who discover lumps.

Every 12 minutes, four women will find out they have breast cancer, and one woman will die from it. Perhaps with increased knowledge and awareness, those numbers can be diminished in the future.