National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a worldwide health campaign that is held every Oct. It aims to contribute screening and prevention of the disease that affects 2.3 million women worldwide. It is known for its pink theme color. The month focuses on a couple of campaigns and programs managed by groups ranging from breast cancer advocacy organizations to major retailers.
In Oct., there are dates specifically designed to raise the awareness of specific groups within breast cancer communities. Oct. 13th is widespread in the United States as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness.
The day is committed to raising awareness about the challenges faced by people with metastatic breast cancer and the need for more information and funding for new treatments. About 168,000 women in the U.S were calculated to have metastatic breast cancer. Researchers estimate that about 30% of early-stage breast cancers eventually spread.
The day, which began in 2009, is meant to educate people about the needs for more money to progress the study of metastatic breast cancer and the development of new metastatic breast cancer. Only about 5% of overall breast cancer research in the United States goes to the MBC groundwork.
According to METVISOR, if people can find a cure for metastatic breast cancer, they can end death from breast cancer.
Even though breast cancer is more common in women, breast cancers effect men as well. In 2021, President Joe Biden decided that Oct. 17 to Oct. 23 is Men’s Breast Cancer Awareness Week.
According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk for male breast cancer is about 1 in 726. Breast cancer may appear at any age but the typical age group for male breast conditions is between 60 and 70 with 67 as the median age of a male breast conditions.
The event of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 as a seven week-long awareness campaign by the American Cancer Society with a partnership called Imperial Chemical Industries, a British company that made tamoxifen. The campaign in the beginning intended to inspired women to get regular mammograms later grew into a month-long event.
During 1992, the pink ribbon approached into play after Alexandra Penney, SELF magazine Editor-in-Chief to be partner with Evelyn Lauder, Estée Lauder’s Corporate Vice President, and a breast cancer survivor gave out pink ribbons following the magazine’s second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month issue. Roughly 1.5 million pink ribbons were shared at Estée Lauder cosmetics counter. Lauder than set up the breast cancer research foundation which to date has given more than $325 million back to cancer research.
Other versions of the pink ribbons have appeared in recent years to raise awareness that all people with breast cancer are not the same. These also include ribbons for raising awareness about metastatic breast cancer, men with breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer and more.
A mix of events around the world were sorted out mostly in Oct., including walks, runs and the pink radiance of landmarks buildings.
In Australia, the Roy Hill Railway in Western Australia paints its railway and engine locomotives in bright pink. In the United States, the National Football League encourages breast cancer awareness by incorporating pink on and off the field.
