A Pink Wave began to form on the 15th and will spread until 30 October to more than 500 locations scattered throughout the country.

This is the month to draw attention to the prevention and diagnosis of breast cancer and for this reason the Portuguese League Against Cancer has associated with several national entities to reiterate that the disease exists, but it can be avoided or stopped in time.

The Faculty to Help project of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon has supported the campaign that is already underway for the third consecutive year and the reason is clear: talking about breast cancer is not about scaring people but about saving their lives.

“It is important to talk about breast cancer because it is the most common cancer in Portuguese women, affecting the diagnosed persons but also their family and friends.

• In Portugal, about 6,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected each year;
• The survival rate has increased. However, still about 1,500 women die each year with the disease;
• Breast cancer is one of the diseases with the greatest impact in our society, not only because it is very frequent and associated with an image of great severity, but also because it harms an organ that is full of symbolism  in terms of maternity and femininity;
• Secondary prevention saves lives and it is important to continue to raise awareness for adherence to breast cancer screening. “(From the text of our Faculty team).

The 15th of October was World Breast Health Day and the 30th is the National Day Against Breast Cancer, more than enough reasons to paint the entire month Pink.