Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October 1 - 31, 2020
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, is the international health campaign lasting the month of October that is intended to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment, as well as palliative care of this disease. In the United States the month long campaign is known as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The first organized effort to bring widespread attention to breast cancer occurred as a weeklong event in the United States in October 1985. Since then, campaigns to increase awareness of the disease, to educate people about methods of prevention and early detection, and to raise money to support research have extended to countries around the world. Today, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and medical societies work together to promote breast cancer awareness.
Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women, impacting 2.1 million women each year and also causes the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women (World Health Organization). In 2020, an estimated 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 48,530 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. About 2,620 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2020 (breastcancer.org).
Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, science forums, educational programs, and informational pamphlets and posters are used to disseminate information to the public. A number of special events are held as well, including National Mammogram Day in the U. S., which focuses on the importance of screening and early detection. In addition, fundraising activities, such as walks, runs, auctions, concerts, and other charity events are held in countries around the world to go toward local, national, or international funding for breast cancer research. Scientific conferences and meetings of international cancer organizations also may be scheduled in conjunction with awareness campaigns.
The major international symbol of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the color pink. In the 1990s the pink ribbon stood as the primary emblem of support. Now the color pink is used in a variety of ways, including on clothing, posters, and web sites, to demonstrate individual and collective awareness of breast cancer. In 2000, Estee Lauder, Inc., a fragrance and cosmetics company, launched Global Illumination, a project in which major global landmarks are illuminated by pink light for one or more days in October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Illuminated landmarks have included the Sydney Opera House, Niagara Falls, the Brandenburg Gate, the Empire State Building, the Taipei 101 building, and the Tower of London. Locally, buildings and landmarks throughout Detroit and Michigan are illuminated in pink during the month of October.
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