Pink October is a campaign in which the main objective is raising awareness of the importance of preventing breast cancer. The event happens during October, worldwide and counts with the endorsement of many kinds of institutions.

According to the Brazilian National Institution of Cancer (INCA), 59.700 cases of breast cancer were reported, representing a total of 29.5% of all breast cancer cases in women in the country. For men, which are mostly affected by prostate cancer, which represents 31.7% of all cancer cases for men in Brazil. 

According to INCA, the early diagnosis allows for a better healing chance of 95%. 

Besides that, the institute alerts that a number of 30% of breast cancer cases can be prevented or completely avoided by adopting some healthy habits like: 

  • Regular practice of physic activities 
  • Healthy alimentation 
  • Avoiding smoking and consuming alcohol
  • Keeping adequate body weight 
  • Avoid the use of synthetic hormones

To know more about Symptoms and Signs, Diagnoses and Treatments you can access directly INCA’s site. 

Pink October Worldwide 

Pink October has its roots in the  American Cancer Society, located in the United States. 

According to the International Agency to Research Cancer (IARC), in the year of 2018, an estimation of 2.1 million new breast cancer cases was registered, and 627 thousands of them were fatalities.

These data show the importance of prevention and early diagnosis. 

In 2019,  IARC will show during the month of October, videos, infographics, and tweets with the intent of raising awareness about the disease. Don’t miss out on their videos, on the institution youtube channel. 

Besides, since is a worldwide event, Pink October has a monthly agenda of events in a plentifull of countries, promoted by many companies. Stay tuned in the schedule of your city/country and don’t miss out on this battle. 

Since this is such a special campaign with major importance, we decided to talk a little bit about the work of our partner The Feminine network to fight against cancer – São Francisco do Sul (RFCC-SFS).

About the Feminine Network 

The RFCC-SFS is a non-profitable organization, maintained by the donation of the local population, the support of private companies and public institutions. It is located in São Francisco do Sul, a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina with a population of approximately 42.5 thousand inhabitants, founded on the 3rd of September of 1984, by a group of women that decided to dedicate themselves to help other women in the prevention and fight against cancer!

In April of 2004, it was inaugurated the headquarters of RFCC-SFS and since then it has attended many women in the municipality, offering consultation and exams such as mammograms and Pap smears. Besides other projects such as making wigs, for the woman that loose the hair during the long treatment against cancer. 

At the beginning of September 2019, it happened an event to commemorate the anniversary of 35 years of the network and the ampliation of its location, which now possesses a little shop and a place that holds events and conventions.  

The patient medical care

Nowadays the RFCC-SFS counts with 50 volunteers, including 2 mastologists, 1 gynecologist, 2 mammograms technicians, and 1 nurse. 

The medical care is directed towards women in São Francisco do Sul and region. The institution attends from Monday to Thursday, in the noon period and are made approximately 20 medical care daily in the mammogram sector, and 20 in the pap smear sector, a base of 500 to 900 medical care monthly.

Marilene informed that the search for medical care and exams, especially for prevention purposes, tends to increase considerably during the Pink October campaign. 

With a partnership since 2016 with Medical Harbour,  The Feminine network to fight against cancer, uses to visualize and analyze the images obtained trough mammograms, Athena DICOM Expert, and the PACS and MH Cloud services. 

To know more about the amazing work that is done by these women and to help them, you can access the institution site or their Instagram

Our solutions possess all the support needed for the analysis of mammograms and related diagnoses. If you wanna know more about them, get in touch with us.