Is the Pink Ribbon taking away from lung cancer awareness?
November 22, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Is there such a thing as Pink Ribbon overload? Has all the attention that has gone to breast cancer awareness and fundraising taken away from other cancers, such as lung cancer?
The University of Michigan Health System has issued a release that discusses how lung cancer still plays a large role in North American society. According to their press release, lung cancer kills four times the number of Americans as does breast cancer. Not only tht, but lung cancer is the number one killer of both men and women.
Did you even know that November is Lung Cancer Awareness month? You surely new that October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that US federal funding for research favors breast cancer over lung cancer 10 to 1? And that $11,000 in breast cancer research is funded for every one person who dies of breast cancer, but for lung cancer, it’s closer to $1,000 per person?
Research for cancer is vital – but it’s vital for all cancers, not just one that has the most vocal activists. I used to work in palliative care. Many of my patients were dying of lung cancer. More had lung cancer than had breast cancer.
Why can’t the funding be more equitable, especially when one type of cancer kills MORE than another?
~~~~
Tags: cancer blog, breast cancer, lung cancer, lung cancer awareness, pink ribbon, pink ribbon overload
I think you make very good points, Marijke, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’ve often wondered why breast cancer receives so much more attention than any other cancer. I’m not “anti” breast cancer awareness or anything, I just think we should focus on awareness of other cancers, too.
And no, I had no idea it was Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Just goes to show.
Thanks Alicia. I hesitated before posting this one because I didn’t want to appear anti-breast cancer awareness. But, to be honest, I do feel a bit of frustration and a “pink ribbon overload.”
If the Mom’s only knew about childhood cancer, I think they would at least share the funding and advocacy efforts……