Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October 2022 | Theme, History and Importance

Breast cancer awareness month is a global healthcare event for the awareness of breast cancer, which is reminisced for the entire month of October every year for the past 37 years.

Various organizations – both global and local come together during this month to promote awareness campaigns and activities which recognise the necessity of the early diagnosis of breast cancer, its treatment and preventive tips to avoid the ailment. 

About 25.8 per 100,000 women (age adjusted rate) and mortality rates of 12.7 per 100,000 women, breast cancer is now the leading cancer in Indian women. With an expected 2.3 million new cases in 2020 (11.7% of all cancer cases), it is the leading cause of global cancer incidence. Between 1965 and 1985 there was a nearly a 50% increase of breast cancer incidence in India.

The above figures are enough to understand the death toll of breast cancer. It would be no doubt that at complex rate at which the incidence of breast cancer is increasing, that sooner or later it could become a part of anyone's life.

Since 1985 October, the Breast Cancer Awareness Month was being conducted by National Breast Cancer Foundation. Various healthcare and non-healthcare groups ranging from breast cancer advocacy organizations to local community organizations have joined hands every year just to reduce the incidence of breast cancer by spreading awareness, through promotion of screening and prevention of the disease. Since then, the month of October is also called the pink month.

The Pink Ribbon symbolises bravery in the face of breast cancer, optimism for the future, and the altruism of individuals as well as the organisations who against all odds fight the disease. The campaigns of Pink Ribbon were victorious in appealing to the sympathetic side of the public which resulted in enormous breast cancer awareness among the masses and the common population. 

In fact, the campaigns of Pink Ribbon were so successful that, North African Women perceive their risk of breast cancer to be a greater and more worrisome than the risk of contracting a heart disease, while the local geographic statistical data deemed otherwise.

This is clear reflection of increased media attention which was afforded to breast cancer when compared with heart disease. News stories about breast cancer have been shown to outnumber stories about cardiovascular disease by a rate of 2.6: 1. The 'Pink Ribbon' symbol for breast cancer awareness has received enormous public and corporate support by repeatedly reinforcing messages and selecting which topics to cover. 

This year 2022, the Breast Cancer Awareness Month theme is “Together We Rise” through which the education and awareness of breast cancer is attempted across the world.

A Turkish study in 2018 aimed at evaluating the influence of breast cancer awareness month on primary diagnosis of breast cancer. Among the various findings, the study demonstrated that there have been an increased rate of screening breast cancer which resulted due to the widespread public awareness campaigns. 

Early detection and treatment are still the best strategy for a better cancer outcome. The preventative tips are still under research. Some of them are: 

• Aerobic exercises can help reduce the risk
• A reduction in dietary fats 
• Increase in the cereal diet (especially those containing fibre)
• Abstinence from alcohol and smoking