Reposted from EGMN: Notes From the Road
November 28, 2011
November 28, 2011
Raise your hand if you’ve never seen a pink ribbon or don’t know what it means.
No one?
The tremendous success of the pink ribbon breast cancer awareness campaign is a great fundraising and awareness lesson for any charitable organization. There are no clear numbers on research funds raised by pink ribbons, in part because there are so many sources for pink ribbon items. Still, those ribbons and the public awareness they’ve raised have made a huge difference in breast cancer research and survival. For example, the 5-year breast cancer relative survival rate in 1975-1977 was 75%. In the most recent data from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics 2011 (table 12), the 5-year breast cancer relative survival rate in 1999-2006 was 90%.
According to the NCI Snapshot of Breast Cancer: “In the United States, breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Each year, a small number of men are also diagnosed with or die from breast cancer. Although the rate of diagnosis of breast cancer increased in the 1990s, it has decreased since 2000, and the overall breast cancer death rate has dropped steadily.” In 2008, the incidence rate for breast cancer in white women and African American women is just a tad less than 130 breast cancers per 100,000 women in each group.
The point is this: we’re had incredible success in raising money, awareness and survival for breast cancer. Maybe it’s time to put the same effort into defeating other cancers.
For example, the 5-year relative survival rate for lung/bronchus cancer — represented by a white ribbon, by the way — in 1975-1977 was 13%; in 1999-2006 that rate had increased only to 16%. Worse still: the 5-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer (purple ribbon) in 1975-1977 was 3%; in 1999-2006 that rate was 6%.
According to the NCI Snapshot of Lung Cancer, lung cancer is the second most common cancer and is the primary cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. The overall mortality rate for lung and bronchus cancers rose steadily through the 1980s and peaked around 1993. Mortality rates are highest among African-American males, followed by white males.
No one?
The tremendous success of the pink ribbon breast cancer awareness campaign is a great fundraising and awareness lesson for any charitable organization. There are no clear numbers on research funds raised by pink ribbons, in part because there are so many sources for pink ribbon items. Still, those ribbons and the public awareness they’ve raised have made a huge difference in breast cancer research and survival. For example, the 5-year breast cancer relative survival rate in 1975-1977 was 75%. In the most recent data from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics 2011 (table 12), the 5-year breast cancer relative survival rate in 1999-2006 was 90%.
According to the NCI Snapshot of Breast Cancer: “In the United States, breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Each year, a small number of men are also diagnosed with or die from breast cancer. Although the rate of diagnosis of breast cancer increased in the 1990s, it has decreased since 2000, and the overall breast cancer death rate has dropped steadily.” In 2008, the incidence rate for breast cancer in white women and African American women is just a tad less than 130 breast cancers per 100,000 women in each group.
The point is this: we’re had incredible success in raising money, awareness and survival for breast cancer. Maybe it’s time to put the same effort into defeating other cancers.
For example, the 5-year relative survival rate for lung/bronchus cancer — represented by a white ribbon, by the way — in 1975-1977 was 13%; in 1999-2006 that rate had increased only to 16%. Worse still: the 5-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer (purple ribbon) in 1975-1977 was 3%; in 1999-2006 that rate was 6%.
According to the NCI Snapshot of Lung Cancer, lung cancer is the second most common cancer and is the primary cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. The overall mortality rate for lung and bronchus cancers rose steadily through the 1980s and peaked around 1993. Mortality rates are highest among African-American males, followed by white males.
In 2008, the incidence rate of lung cancer among African American men was roughly 100 per 100,000 men; for white men the rate was about 70 per 100,000 men. Remember though that the 5-year relative lung cancer survival rate in 2006 was estimated at 16%. That’s a lot of people dying…and that’s just lung cancer. By the way November is the awareness month for lung cancer and stomach cancer (periwinkle ribbon).
The point is, maybe it’s time that the White Ribbon (or purple or gray or … ) became the new Pink Ribbon.
Special thanks to David Sampson, director of medical & scientific communications for the American Cancer Society, for his help with data.
The point is, maybe it’s time that the White Ribbon (or purple or gray or … ) became the new Pink Ribbon.
Special thanks to David Sampson, director of medical & scientific communications for the American Cancer Society, for his help with data.