Every cancer type has its own awareness ribbon color, and many share similar shades, which can make things confusing. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of ribbon colors organized by color family, including multi-color and patterned ribbons for cancers that use them.
Pink: Breast Cancer
Pink is the most widely recognized cancer ribbon color, representing breast cancer. The symbol actually started as a peach-colored ribbon created by Charlotte Haley in 1991. A year later, Estée Lauder distributed 1.5 million pink ribbons in the first nationwide campaign using the color, cementing it as the trademark of Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October. Two variations exist: pink and blue for male breast cancer, and pink combined with teal and green for metastatic breast cancer.
Purple and Its Many Variations
Purple covers more cancer types than almost any other color, with different shades assigned to different diseases. Variations of purple represent pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer, leiomyosarcoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer. The connection between purple and pancreatic cancer traces back to 1996, when Rose Schneider wore her favorite purple dress for photos before cancer surgery. After she died, her daughter Pamela Acosta Marquardt founded the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in 1999 and adopted purple as its official color. Today, shades ranging from orchid to violet to periwinkle all appear across the cancer-support landscape.
Lavender is commonly used to represent all cancers generally, serving as a catch-all awareness color when no specific type is being highlighted.
Blue Ribbons
Blue appears in several forms depending on the cancer type:
- Light blue: Prostate cancer
- Dark blue: Colon and colorectal cancer
- Navy: Also appears as part of the bladder cancer ribbon (combined with yellow and purple)
Green and Lime Green
Green ribbons represent kidney cancer and liver cancer. Lime green is the color for lymphoma, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The brightness of lime green distinguishes it clearly from the darker greens used for other cancer types. Teal, which sits between green and blue, represents ovarian cancer and cervical cancer (cervical cancer pairs teal with white).
Gold: Childhood Cancer
Gold represents childhood cancer. The choice dates to 1997, when a group of parents in the United States began pushing for a universal symbol to raise awareness of pediatric cancers. They chose gold because it is a precious metal and children, they argued, are our most precious treasure. The symbolism runs deeper: gold is refined through fire to become stronger, paralleling how children with cancer develop resilience through painful treatment.
Orange: Leukemia and Kidney Cancer
Orange is the primary ribbon color for leukemia. It also shares use with kidney cancer awareness in some contexts, though kidney cancer more commonly uses green. Orange stands out as one of the bolder, more distinctive ribbon colors because fewer cancer types claim it.
White, Black, and Grey
These neutral colors each represent a different cancer:
- White or pearl: Lung cancer
- Black: Melanoma and skin cancer
- Grey: Brain cancer and brain tumors
White and pearl are sometimes used interchangeably for lung cancer, with pearl being slightly more common in awareness materials. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, while May covers both melanoma and general skin cancer awareness.
Burgundy: Multiple Myeloma and Head and Neck Cancers
Burgundy represents multiple myeloma. It also pairs with white for oral, head, and neck cancer awareness. The deeper red tone distinguishes it from the brighter ribbons used for other blood cancers.
Yellow: Sarcoma and Bone Cancer
Yellow ribbons are associated with sarcoma and bone cancer, with July designated as Sarcoma Awareness Month. Yellow also appears as part of the multi-color bladder cancer ribbon.
Multi-Color and Patterned Ribbons
Not every cancer uses a single solid color. Several types are represented by combinations or patterns that reflect the complexity of the disease or its community’s desire to stand apart:
- Zebra stripe (black and white): Neuroendocrine cancer. The zebra print ribbon also represents rare cancers and cancers of unknown primary origin.
- Yellow, purple, and navy: Bladder cancer
- Green and purple: Anal cancer
- Teal and white: Cervical cancer
- Pink and blue: Male breast cancer
- Pink, teal, and green: Metastatic breast cancer
- Pink, purple, and teal: Thyroid cancer
- Burgundy and white: Oral, head, and neck cancer
The zebra print ribbon carries particular significance for people diagnosed with a rare or hard-to-classify cancer. It borrows from the medical saying “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras,” reclaiming the zebra as a symbol for the patients whose diagnoses don’t fit neatly into common categories.
Quick Reference by Color
- Pink: Breast cancer
- Light blue: Prostate cancer
- Dark blue: Colon/colorectal cancer
- Purple: Pancreatic, testicular, stomach, esophageal cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, leiomyosarcoma
- Lavender: All cancers (general awareness)
- Teal: Ovarian cancer
- Green: Kidney cancer, liver cancer
- Lime green: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Gold: Childhood cancer
- Orange: Leukemia
- Yellow: Sarcoma, bone cancer
- White/pearl: Lung cancer
- Black: Melanoma/skin cancer
- Grey: Brain cancer
- Burgundy: Multiple myeloma
- Zebra stripe: Neuroendocrine cancer, rare cancers, cancer of unknown origin
Because no single governing body assigns ribbon colors, some overlap exists. Multiple organizations may use slightly different shades for the same cancer, and a few cancers share colors with non-cancer causes. When in doubt, the awareness month and the specific advocacy organization behind a ribbon typically clarify which cause is being represented.