Here's the good news: Breast cancer death rates decreased by 27% between 1990 and 2005. That's right, 27%. The figure is even more significant when considering that the death rates didn't change much between 1930 and 1990. The reason for the decrease is unknown, but it's clear that the education campaigns have helped prevent deaths over the years.

This October women around the U.S. will be observing National Cancer Awareness Month. For the past twenty five years, the campaign has educated Americans about the breast disease and has taught countless women to perform self-breast exams and to get annual mammograms. But breast cancer awareness is especially important for Latina women, a group that does not learn about breast cancer until the disease is at a more advanced stage.

"They're not getting more breast cancer than other women, but they're less likely to survive as long," Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, a member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's National Health Advisory Council and chairwoman of the Komen Foundation National Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council told CNN earlier this year. "The reason is they're diagnosed at a later stage of the cancer."

According to a report released by the Science of Cancer Health Disparities Conference in February 2009, our women are at great risk because they have poor lifestyle habits such as an unbalanced diet and irregular or no exercise. They do not speak English well, they lack health insurance, and don't visit the doctor regularly. "We're seeing them at later stages, so the cancer is more advanced. Their five-year survival rates are lower than non-Hispanic whites," Ramirez said in the interview.

For more information about breast cancer or for patient services, visit the campaign's website: http://www.nbcam.org/

Watch a special message from Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation: