Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been celebrated every October since the nineties. It is called 'Pink October' as people around the world adopt the pink colour and display a pink ribbon to raise awareness about breast health.

Call for Applications for Project ECHO Breast Cancer Control Course, photo (c) Sarah Cervantes Unsplash

What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been celebrated every October for the last 90 years. It is called "Pink October" as people around the world adopt the pink colour and display a pink ribbon to raise awareness about the importance of prevention and routine screening for the early diagnosis of breast cancer, now the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally.

How is UICC engaging with Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Woman dressed in pink holding a pink ribbon, symbolising breast cancer awareness month

On the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2022, UICC:

announced 15 grants for projects aimed at improving the early detection of breast cancer
hosted a Virtual Dialogue on metastatic breast cancer
launched the Master course on "Good practices for planning and implementing breast cancer projects”
broadcasted 2 podcasts
issued a number of articles, blogs and publications such as the virtual issue from the International Journal of Cancer on translation and clinical research

Discover UICC’s Breast Cancer programme and its past activities and events for breast cancer control.

What are key messages to share?

UICC has prepared ready-made social media messages and posts to help our members and the cancer community raise awareness not only during Breast Cancer Awareness Month but also, throughout the year.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month ready-made social media messages

Despite being the most prevalent cancer in the world, estimates suggest that by 2025, 2.5M women worldwide will die from #breastcancer. Find out how more this #BreastCancerAwarnessMonth. @uicc @who #GBCI

1 in 8 women are predicted to be diagnosed with #breastcancer in their lifetime. How will you help raise awareness this #BreastCancerAwarnessMonth? @uicc @who #GBCI

To tackle the growing #breastcancer burden, improvements need to be made in access to early detection, timely treatment and care, palliative & survivorship care, and comprehensive data collection through robust #cancer registries. @uicc @who #GBCI

Every 50 seconds, somewhere in the world a woman dies from #breastcancer. Improvements must be made in access to early detection, treatment, palliative and survivorship care, and comprehensive data collection. @uicc @who #GBCI

#BreastCancer deaths disproportionately affect individuals in low- and middle-income countries. In high-income countries, the five-year survival rates exceeds 90%, while it remains at 66% in India and 40% in South Africa. @uicc @who #GBCI

Since the 1980s, there has been a 40% reduction in #BreastCancer mortality in high-income countries. This has yet to be achieved in the majority of low- and middle-income countries. @uicc @who #GBCI

To reduce breast cancer mortality, national cancer control plans must be based on 3 pillars:

health promotion and early detection

timely diagnosis, and

comprehensive breast cancer management.

@uicc @who #GBCI

Breast Cancer Awareness Month social media banners

Breast Cancer Awareness Month videos

UICC members during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

asian women doing a virtual fitness exercise session for breast cancer awareness month.

"Dance together! Build a record!" : Virtual Fitness Exercise Challenge (GCBCOA's Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign)

Discover Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaigns from UICC members, from October 2021. They aimed to raise awareness around breast cancer through multiple channels and regions:

In China, the Global Chinese Breast Cancer Organizations Alliance organised the hybrid event “Building lives with miracles” (with translation in English) and they intended to break a world record with a fitness challenge.
In Ivory Coast, Hope Life organised Slam Rose, a contest of urban poetry to grow awareness about breast cancer in the younger population.
In Egypt, Baheya lit the pyramids in pink and launched the “30 days in Pink” campaign.
In Mexico, Fundación CIMA launched a virtual sportive event in which participants could walk, run, swim, bike and more, to support breast cancer patients.
In Lebanon, the Bread Exam is a bread recipe that implicitly teaches women how to self-check for breast cancer.

To learn how to design messaging and campaigns that appeal to the public based on design-thinking principles and hear from 2021 campaigns of UICC members, you can watch the Virtual Dialogue on “Rethinking Pink October – how to increase engagement with the public virtually” that was held on 21 September 2021.

Please share your own BCAM campaign through the ICCP portal and view other campaigns from UICC members on the ICCP resource library.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer globally.

Doctor and patient at the Hellenic Cancer Society demonstrating self-exam

In the last decade, UICC has launched a series of initiatives to encourage early detection and improve access to treatment and care.

people around a stand selling pink products

This page regroups important resources on breast cancer control such as infographics, videos, articles and tools.

UICC’s Breast Cancer programme is designed to respond to the urgent need to accelerate progress in breast cancer.

Tags breast cancer awareness month breast cancer programme

Last update

Monday 27 March 2023