why is it Breast Cancer is the only thing people care about?

Question

Where ever you go. All they talk about is how to find a cure for breast cancer, What about the other cancers that are out there. Why are they pushed a side for breast cancer. before anyone gets their panties in a twist. A few of my family members have hasd breast cancer. 2 who found the lumps and went to get it checked our now healthy. The one who ignored it until it got really bad. Did pass away. she is missed every day. Now that you know that get off you high horses before you answer.
I am personal sick of going into stores and seeing nothing but breast cancer stuff. I personal would like to see a cure for all kinds. If you can get shirts, pens, magnets for breast cancer. Why not al the rest?

Answer 1

first of all, thanks so much from one who suffers from what is called an orphan cancer(very rare). i am sorry to hear that breast cancer has struck your family. i also wish there were more concern or awareness for the other forms of cancer. the type of cancer i have is only treated by 10 doctors in the whole country. there is almost no research going on . i hate to say it but, breast cancer gets so much awareness because, drug companies study the diseases that can lead to proffitable drug sales. rare diseases do not make money. i wish it was not a question of money but, what in this world is not a question of money. thanks for realizing that we need to research all cancers.

Answer 2

October is breast cancer awareness month, and that is why you see a saturation of items during this month in particular.

There are many, many breast cancer survivors in the United States, and therefore it's a big market for people who market pink ribbon items.

You can definitely support other organizations such as the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Gilda's Club, many others that contribute to research and services for all types of cancer if that is what you wish to do. Alex's Lemonade Stand is a great organization for childhood cancer research.

I don't know that others are pushed to the side, although some of the rarer cancers do not have as much support. Ovarian cancer, for example, is much more rare than breast cancer and has a very high death rate, so there are not as many survivors out there to advocate and raise money. And of course there are many cancers that are very rare and have little to no fundraising done for them.

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.

Answer 3

The pink ribbons and breast cancer awareness was established by the founder of Estee Lauder, which is a major cosmetic corporation. She was able to interest many other companies and corporations in funding a cure for breast cancer. The current tide of pink for breast cancer is not led by the medical community. It is being led by American companies interested in using breast cancer as a way to instill good will and increase profits . . it has little to do with finding a 'cure' for cancer.

The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign (established in 1982)
http://www.esteelauder.com/templates/products/multiproduct.tmpl?ngextredir=1&CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY5887

Powered by major corporations such as Estée Lauder:
http://www.bcrfcure.org/

It is an unfortunate twist that breast cancer is now considered a commodity. If corporations truly were concerned about cancer than they would support an equitable research into all cancers and include men, teens, and young children who are dying daily from underfunded reseach. Think before you pink.

Answer 4

Obviously Breast cancer is high profile right now because it's October. 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, then internationally, 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).

http://www.cancerservicesonline.org/cancer_awareness.asp
Now I have had breast cancer and I agree that there are extremely irritating things about Breast Cancer Awareness month, or Pink October as the more cynical of us call it. Support for a deadly disease that kills on average more than 1,200 women a month in the UK alone has been turned into a marketing opportunity by big business, with
around 1% of the cost of specially made pink stuff going to breast cancer charities, the rest into the retailers’ pockets.

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 (see Rockstars offensive answer) - 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. 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 about the same in America. Just because the pink thing trivialises it doesn't mean it's trivial

Answer 5

Breast Cancer is not the only cancer that people care about but it is the highest bringing in the most revenue concerning any of the cancers. They do have different months for other cancers, but not as many people turnout for those events to purchase memorabilia as they do with breast cancer. Let's face it, women have stepped up and shown a bright light on very important issues: CANCER
and it's not all about breast

Answer 6

Because breast cancer is one that has an enormously high cure rate with early detection. getting women to constantly think about it raises the chances they'll get those early detection tests. Idid. that's why I survived, because I was hammered with the pink campaign until I got my mamogram. Also, many die too young needlesley because they didn't get early treatment. and there are people working hard on getting the word out, getting corporate sponsorship (read:dollars) to spend on getting the word out even more. Yes, other cancers should get more air time, but as far as I know, early detection of prostrate canacer, pancreas cancer does not improve survival rates (my husband died of pancreatic cancer) The other major cancer that can be helped by early detection is colon cancer. And I personally do see a lot of articles, news stories about getting that early screening for polyps. They just need better organizers to market and get the word out as well as the br.ca. team has done.

Answer 7

The first thing I thought of is isn't that a great way for identity thieves to get personal bits of information about you. I always support breast cancer awareness but this just misses the mark on too many levels.

Answer 8

Probably because Breast Cancer is the most prevalent cancer concerning women, just as Prostate Cancer is amongst men.
The other Cancers are not PUSHED ASIDE, all new treatments, etc ,go towards the treatment ofall the other forms of Cancer.
My wife is a 4 year survivor of Breast Cancer, she has more relatives dead through Cancer(not just Breast) than she has living.
Some of them are, Brain Cancer, Kidney, Liver, Bone, Colon, Lung, need i go on?
If all of these were continually being pumped across the airwaves, what would your next complaints be ( Why all the adds for different cancers? why cant they choose just one?)
Breast cancer/Prostate Cancer are the prevalent ones as i said before.
Would you buy a pen/magnet/shirt,etc, for each & every one of the other forms of Cancer that are out there?
The answer is more than likely to be NO, because of the overkill!
I hope this rant does not offend you, it's a subject VERY close to my, my wifes & our kid's hearts

Answer 9

never been able to figure that one out either. more men die from prostate cancer every year then women from breast and ovarian cancer combined. more people die from lung cancer every year than all other cancers combined. maybe because women are better at opening up discussions. maybe because it is such a deadly, expensive, and devastating form of cancer. or maybe because women have learned that they have an enourmous voice in government and are willing to be vocal about what they want. what idiot would tell a woman to pipe down and expect to live until the next day. give them credit though for being able to get the attention necessary to make changes.

Answer 10

It seems like the breast cancer in your family has affected you and you dont want to be constantly reminded about it,cant blame you.I agree that this marketing of Breast cancer items can become more of a business than its original intention of raising awareness of the disease.I believe all cancers will be cured one day through identifying the faulty gene and correcting it before cancer takes hold