My wife recently went through ovarian cancer and went through treatments, however all you ever hear about is the "Power of Pink" which is always related to Breast cancer, is there a reason why ovarian cancer is not recognized?
Cancer - 8 Answers
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1 :
I was wondering the same thing. My grandma had ovarian cancert and I get frustarted with all the Breast Cancer things around, even a whole month dedicated to it and Ovarian cancer is pretty much ignored, along with alot of other cancers. It might have something to do with the larger people affected with it.
2 :
Good point. I think it may be because the "Pink" movement is to encourage women to get mammograms to screen for breast cancer. There is no good screening for ovarian cancer, unfortunately. I work for a major women's university hospital. We are doing a lot of research for ovarian cancer. So though you may not hear much....be assured there is much being done so that woman have a better chance for a cure, early diagnoses, etc. One thing being developed and researched is a blood screening test for ovarian cancer which would be the equivalent to the PSA test for men (prostate cancer). I know you and your wife must be frightened.... Good luck. I wish the best for you both.
3 :
Sir I mean you no disrespect but did you know that diabetes kills more people annually than breast cancer and AIDS combined. I would love to see research continue on all diseases but if I had to choose I would put my money on the biggest killer. BTW, I don't know if diabetes is the biggest. I know I am diabetic and I am certain it will kill me. That said, if something else kills more people then that is were the effort and money should go.
4 :
My wife has kidney cancer and we have felt this way for four years.We think the focus should be on all cancer.
5 :
The women who organized breast cancer awareness over 20 years ago were primarily affected by breast cancer. They put together a powerful organization that received prominent corporate backing (I think the first company was a cosmetic company whose owner had breast cancer -Estee Lauder). Evelyn H. Lauder founded Estee Lauder and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation http://www.esteelauder.com/templates/products/multiproduct.tmpl?ngextredir=1&CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY5887 The focus on breast cancer is not led by the medical community, but by corporate 'pink' sponsors as well as public organizations. Currently the 'Pink' campaign is controlled by company sponsors with questionable motivations . . they seem far more interested in using the pink theme to promote good will and business for themselves than 'finding a cure for breast cancer' . . . you are right . . why aren't companies and corportations that support the pink ribbons just as horrified by ovarian cancer, sarcoma, testicular cancer, or childhood cancers. Unfortunately . . it appears that breast cancer has become a political and highly commercial commodity. At the moment, though, the loudest voice gets the prize and that voice is from breast cancer advocates backed by powerful corporations. Do not blame those who suffer from breast cancer who are benefiting from the research and money generated by this campaign. Absolutely no one should suffer from cancer and it is difficult to voice a 'complaint' against anyone or any organization that supports research to cure or eliminate cancer of any kind. But, there should be a more equitable means of supporting all cancer research.
6 :
Hi inner....I agree but a word of encouragement, my friend is an advocate of Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA) in Orange County, California. She was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer and is a 13 year survivor. She speaks at many seminars and is a regular on a show called, Your Cancer Today. Also another best friend died at the age of 37 of this terrible disease and back in 1993, ovarian cancer was undetectable without a exploratory surgery (that is how they found my friend but it was too late). Anyway, we will fight it and may ovarian cancer be just as visual as breast. Best wishes and God speed to your wife. :D
7 :
Obviously Breast cancer is high profile right now because it's October. Now I have had breast cancer and I hate and dread BCAM, or Pink October as the more cynical of us call it. Take a look at all that pink stuff for sale, and check the label or ask the retailer: what percentage of the sale price is going to breast cancer charities. Usually around 1% . Support for a deadly disease that kills on average more than 1,000 women a month in the UK alone has been turned into a marketing opportunity. The pink fluffy stuff infuriates me, and I'm not at all 'tickled pink' by Asda's (Walmart's) trivialisation of an illness that may yet kill me. October magazines carry stories from cheerful survivors who claim to have the all-clear (there is no all-clear with breast cancer), and often say bc has changed their lives for the better - very different from anybody I know who's had breast cancer. Also I believe that the marketing and fund-raising aspects of Pink October, by trivialising a deadly disease, are leading people to believe that breast cancer is a) not very serious, certainly not as serious as many other cancers (many women with breast cancer have been told - by people who don't have it - that it's a 'good' cancer to get) and b) curable. (my neighbour said to me 'they've just about got breast cancer licked, haven't they?' Really? Why are they still cutting women's breasts off then?) I've even heard it said that it's a 'sexy' cancer - my sexy prosthesis and sexy one-breasted body are evidence that it's no such thing. Yes, other cancers and other diseases need more awareness, and while I hate 'competitive illness' I can see why there is some resentment about an imbalance in awareness raising and fund raising. But breast cancer awareness month started as a campaign by women to raise awareness so that people knew the symptoms, examined themselves regularly, attended their routine mammograms etc. Enthusiastic participation by women made it grow into something nationally recognised (and then big business cashed in). Any group of people can start such an awareness campaign. There are other cancer awareness months, ribbons etc, for example there is a prostate cancer awareness campaign and a ribbon, but as men are generally less open and less willing to talk about their health and well, their prostates, it gets less publicity and support. In the UK, March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I don't know if this is the case elsewhere. The ribbon is teal (a shade of blue-green). So yes, Pink October is awful in some respects, and yes, other cancers need awareness campaigns (many have them as I’ve said, but they don't receive so much support - or have as much work put into them). But don't lose sight of the fact that breast cancer is a killer disease with disfiguring surgery, gruelling treatments and so far no cure, or that in the UK one in nine women will be diagnosed with it at some point in their lives, and I think that percentage is the same in America. Just because the pink thing trivialises it doesn't mean it's trivial
8 :
October is breast cancer awareness month, so certainly there are things that are much more visible during this time for breast cancer. Ovarian cancer is much more rare than breast cancer, and since it's more lethal there are many less survivors. Therefore it's harder to get a mass of people behind it because not as many people are affected. About 40,000 women in the US die every year from breast cancer, and it is the biggest cancer killer of women in the US. Ovarian cancer kills about 14,000 women per year in the US, which is still a large number. However, it is still an important issue. There are organizations out there for ovarian cancer. A teal ribbon is the symbol for ovarian cancer. And a pink and teal ribbon is the symbol for ovarian and breast cancer, which often run in families due to a mutation in a gene called BRCA. You can support ovarian cancer through organizations such as the ones below
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