@Simone_De_Beauvoir @jca @aster I think it has more to with the media, medical costs, and diagnostic tools. I agree with @Simone_De_Beauvoir when she says heart disease is different than breast cancer. First, an EKG does not address arteries getting clogged around the heart or clotting blood that can cause a heart attack, the EKG will show nothing. Of course there are times when EKG or echo is important for heart arythmias and weak valves, but the incidious building over time of developing heart disease is sort of monitored by blood tests for cholesterol and blood pressure checks, which I think are done regularly for most people, but those don’t really see what is going on inside of the heart or arteries. To get a clear picture you have to go through a medical procedure like an angiogram, although now there is the capability of getting a heart CT, I am not sure what that shows, it is a lot of xrays, and you have to slow the heart to do it. For breast cancer we can snap 4 xrays and do a non-invasive ultrasound or MRI, before cutting into the breast.
I think breast cancer awareness came about during a time of womens rights being a big deal in America, that we are overlooked in our marriages, career, and our health, and the timing was very good for it to get a lot of attention.
And about the media, the average population just knows what the media is talking about.