Thousands of Colombians joined walks in the country in October commemorating International Breast Cancer Month. In Bogota alone, about 6,000 people walked through the main streets wearing pink ribbons, the symbol of the fight against this type of cancer.  Demonstrations took place in other Colombian cities, such as Cali, Pereira and Medellín.

Many other symbolic activities were held, such as a football game played by a team of women survivors of breast cancer, called “The Colombian Team for Life,” against a team of TV anchorwomen.  Some celebrity women were part of the players and the match was narrated by the more prestigious sport journalists. The message: breast cancer can be defeated.

To raise awareness on the importance of breast cancer screenings, 30 palms were planted to honor 30 women survivors of this disease.  One of the women honored is 76 years old and has survived a double masectomy.

However, the International Breast Cancer Month was not limited to public acts. As a result of the campaign, regional and local governmental bodies decided to develop workshops for university students and carry out health visits to various public organizations, in order to inform and educate about the early methods of detection.

Promoting prevention is crucial in Colombia, as the rate of breast cancer is on the rise. According to the Colombian League Against Cancer, about 6,000 women receive a positive diagnosis annually, and 2,500 die as a result of breast cancer.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most of the those killed by breast cancer are women from developing countries, due to late diagnosis and difficulties to receive timely and accurate treatment. Worldwide 545,000 women die annually.

Olga de Santamaría, President of the Colombian League Against Cancer, pointed out that from 2002 to 2007, the rate of breast cancer has doubled. Moreover, Walter Antonio Pineda Ruiz, mastologue at the National Institute of Cancerology said that breast cancer would become the leading cause of death among women 50 and 69 years old, if the actual rate of 33 per 100,000 does not decrease.

The increasing number of cases is a global trend, which affects the North as well as the South. Some analysts say that it is due to chemicals used in crops, and in fast food products.

Globocan, the WHO’s body in charge of health statistics, reported in 2002 that breast cancer made up 22.8% of total cancers.

Unlike cervical cancer, breast cancer in Colombia concentrated among women of high income. Although the cause of breast cancer still unknown, some risky factors have been identified.  The most relevant are: family relatives who suffered breast cancer; early menstruation; late last menstruation; absence of breastfeeding; frequent alcohol consumption; obesity and previous detection of breast cancer.

According to José Joaquin Caicedo, mastologue (expert in removing breasts), women who have had breast cancer are 0.5% to 1% more likely to develop breast cancer in the other breast in the next ten years.

The risk factors for recurrence are very complex, however. Some doctors state that women under 35 years old are at greater risk to have a second breast cancer, as well as those who received a diagnosis in advanced stage of breast cancer development.

The aim of the campaign was to promote the breast cancer early detection, through the breast self-examination to detect lumps, and  mammograms, which is the best method to be check for lumps.

Along with Colombian non-governmental organizations, many NGOs from Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and Costa Rica, members of Redcancer Program, from the American Society of Cancer, developed on October actions to raised awareness on the methods to prevent and combat breast cancer.