Overview:
The world celebrates breast cancer awareness in October every year, since 2006. Breast cancer is most second common cancer worldwide. Breast cancer risk factors: being female, obesity, alcohol consumption, advanced age, family history, previous breast cancer, previous exposure to radiation, hormonal therapy, some genetic mutations, reproductive health history (such as age at the beginning of menstruation, and at first pregnancy).
Objectives:
- Increasing community awareness of risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer.
- Raising awareness about ways to prevent breast cancer.
- Emphasizing the importance of early detection and encouragement, the target group, the location of the service, and providing an integrated service to combat breast cancer, from detection to treatment.
Facts:
- It affects women more, unlike men, whose incidence rate is (0.5-1).
- Breast cancer caused 685,000 deaths in 2020.
- About half of breast cancer cases occur in women, without specific risk factors, other than gender and age.
- 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.
- If the disease is diagnosed early, treatment is highly effective, and the recovery rate is higher.
Official Date:
Globally: October 1-31, 2025.
Locally: Rabiʽ Al Thani 9 – Jumada Al Awwal 9, 1447 AH.
References
International Agency for Research on Cancer - Cancer Today
World Health Organization - Breast Cancer.