Originally from the United States, Pink October was born for the first time in 1985. Its origin comes from a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical department of Imperial Chemical Industries. Breast cancer is a silent disease causing many deaths worldwide. To fight against the disease, it is essential to mobilize in order to support the fight against cancer and detect the disease quickly. But what does Pink October have to do with it? Find out why the month of October was chosen.

What is the purpose of Pink October?

Pink October is Women's Awareness Month. October 1994 marked the birth of the awareness campaign called Le Cancer du Sein, Parlons-en ! To put it simply, its objective is to raise public awareness of the importance of screening. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women.

In the process, Public Health publishes the incidence rate of breast cancer in France each year.

To understand the importance of this event, some facts have been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO):

• About 1 in 12 women develop breast cancer.
• About 685,000 women died from breast cancer in 2020.
• Most breast cancer cases and deaths are in poor countries

To fight against cancer, mobilization methods have been put in place to raise women's awareness, such as the pink ribbon.

Get mobilized thanks to the Pink October challenge

The objective of this challenge is to travel several kilometers to support the fight against cancer. Walkers, running, Zumba... Many activities are expected during the awareness month. In addition, no day is imposed to participate in the fight against breast cancer . It is also possible to make a donation to support cancer research, which will be donated to the association.

Throughout the month of October, the pink ribbons are accessible and highlighted with all campaign partners:

• town halls
• the local collectives
• private companies
• hospital Center
• associations
• perfumeries, etc.

Moreover, you can very well make your pink ribbon yourself and wear it proudly.

Anticipate, prevent and raise awareness

Credit: Klaus Nielsen

Once again, Pink October is an event aimed at raising awareness in the fight against breast cancer. This month reminds women to be screened to detect the disease as early as possible. The advantage of screening is the reduction of the risk of mortality linked to breast cancer . Indeed, detecting cancer at an early stage is easier to treat.

According to the latest Public Health data, 2,551,000 women were screened in 2019, which corresponds to 48.6% of the population in France . Each year, each woman is invited by personal letter to perform a mammogram every two years.

According to studies, the mortality rate among women over 50 invited for screening is 22% lower than women who are not screened.

Breast cancer, a common disease worldwide

Breast cancer is present in 85% in the cells lining the ducts and 15% in the mammary glands. Initially, a cancerous tumor appears in the ducts without causing symptoms. The chances of it propagating are minimal. On the other hand, the cancer can grow and invade the breast tissues, until it spreads to the lymph nodes and even to the other organs of the body.

The first cause of death is due to the spread of the cancerous tumor in different parts of the body. Clearly, this spread ends in generalized cancer. Treating breast cancer can be effective especially if detected early. Generally, the treatment is associated with removal of the breast, radiotherapy or drug treatment. Treating breast cancer early effectively reduces the spread of cancer cells, and above all saves lives .

More than 2 million women with breast cancer in 2020

The WHO has identified 2.3 million cancer cases and 685,000 cancer deaths worldwide in 2020. In addition, 7.8 million women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 5 years. In other words, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world

Who are the people at risk?

Keep in mind, however, that this cancer is present worldwide, and does not only affect women over the age of 50. Indeed, cancer affects women of all ages from puberty. Moreover, the risk of developing cancer increases as age advances, not to mention the risk of recurrence.

In all cases , unlike other cancers, breast cancer is not a communicable or infectious disease. Nearly half of breast cancers occur in people with no particular risk factor, other than their gender (female) and advanced age (over 40).

Nevertheless, certain factors considerably increase the risk of the onset of the disease, in particular:

• obesity
• alcohol abuse
• the tobacco
• a family history of breast cancer
• gynecological history
• radiation exposure
• the risks increase considerably
• treatment for menopause

How to avoid the risk of breast cancer?

There are several ways to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer . For this, it is recommended to breastfeed your children for as long as possible (6 months minimum) and to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Regular physical exercise is highly recommended. Of course, avoid alcohol abuse and tobacco.

As you will have understood, breast cancer is a disease wreaking havoc all over the world, even more so in poor countries. It is for this reason that Pink October was created to raise awareness and fight against the disease. So, put on your t-shirt, take out the pink ribbon and let's mobilize by running for them!

Collaboration Phawop x Têt Maré

Phawop is an association whose ambition is to enable women with cancer to regain their self-esteem, by offering them, for example, wigs made to measure with their own hair.

On the occasion of Pink October, we are committed to donating 1 euro for each order shipped in October.

You can also make a donation on the page dedicated to the association .