Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed every October, is an opportunity to do something that actually moves the needle: fund research, get screened, support people in treatment, and learn who’s most at risk. With over 2 million new cancer cases projected in the United States in 2025, breast cancer remains one of the most common diagnoses. Here’s how to make the month count beyond wearing pink.
Schedule Your Mammogram
The single most impactful thing you can do this October is get screened, or remind someone you love to do the same. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammograms every two years for all women starting at age 40 and continuing through age 74. When breast cancer is caught before it spreads, the five-year survival rate is 99.6%. Once it reaches distant parts of the body, that number drops to about 33%. Early detection isn’t a slogan; it’s the difference between those two numbers.
If you’ve been putting off scheduling, use October as your deadline. Many imaging centers run promotions or extended hours during the month, and most insurance plans cover screening mammograms at no out-of-pocket cost.
Know Your Personal Risk Factors
Awareness month is also a good time to assess whether you qualify for genetic testing, which can reveal inherited variants that significantly raise breast cancer risk. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends testing if any of the following apply to you: you were diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age 50, you have Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, you’ve been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, or you have a close blood relative who had breast cancer before 50, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, or metastatic prostate cancer. Even if you haven’t been diagnosed, having a first- or second-degree relative who meets those criteria is enough reason to talk to your doctor about testing.
Genetic counseling can feel intimidating, but knowing your status lets you and your care team make informed decisions about screening frequency and prevention strategies.
Donate Where It Matters Most
Not every pink ribbon product sends money where you think it does. Before buying a “pink” item, check three things: how much money per purchase actually goes to a charity, whether there’s a cap on the company’s total donation (meaning they may have already hit their limit before you buy), and which specific organization receives the funds. Vague language like “supports the fight against breast cancer” or unclear terms like “a portion of proceeds” are red flags. You should be able to calculate the exact dollar amount being donated at the time of purchase.
If you want to give directly, Charity Navigator’s top-rated breast cancer organizations include the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (98% rating), National Breast Cancer Foundation (100%), CancerCare (100%), and Living Beyond Breast Cancer (97%). Each focuses on a slightly different mix of research funding, patient support, and education, so pick the mission that resonates with you.
Organize a Fundraiser
You don’t need a nonprofit’s budget to raise meaningful money. Some of the simplest approaches work well: set up an online fundraising page tied to a personal challenge like walking, running, or cycling a set distance, then share it with friends and family. Ask people to donate instead of giving you a birthday or anniversary gift if yours falls in October. Approach a local gym, yoga studio, or cycling studio about hosting a donation-based class.
Workplace events are another strong option. Encourage coworkers to wear pink, share breast cancer statistics at a team meeting, or create a company fundraising page. For something more casual, host a game night (board games, pickleball, trivia) where the entry fee is a donation. If you stream on Twitch, platforms like Tiltify let you collect donations during a charity stream. Organizations like the Breast Cancer Research Foundation offer downloadable fundraising toolkits to help you get started.
Speak Up About Disparities
Awareness month often centers on a generalized “breast cancer” message, but the reality is uneven. Black women face a nearly 40% higher mortality rate from breast cancer compared to white women, despite having lower overall incidence rates. That gap is driven by systemic inequities in access to care, quality of treatment, and broader social factors like income and geography. Meaningful awareness includes talking about who is most affected and why, and directing resources toward organizations working to close that gap.
You can amplify this by sharing these statistics on social media, supporting community health programs that provide free or low-cost mammograms in underserved areas, and advocating for policies that expand screening access.
Remember Metastatic Patients
October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and it exists for a specific reason. As Moffitt Cancer Center has pointed out, people living with stage 4 breast cancer don’t need general awareness reminders. They’re already living with the disease every day. What they need is acknowledgment of their specific challenges: ongoing treatment with no defined endpoint, financial strain, and a five-year survival rate of about 33%.
You can support metastatic patients by donating to organizations that fund stage 4 research specifically, sharing their stories when they want to be heard, and being thoughtful about messaging. Celebratory “survivor” framing, while well-intentioned, can feel alienating to people managing a disease that won’t go away.
Include Men in the Conversation
Breast cancer in men is rare, accounting for less than 1% of all cases, but roughly 2,500 men are diagnosed each year in the United States. Because awareness is so low, men are often diagnosed at a later stage. About half already have lymph node involvement by the time they’re identified. The most common sign is a painless, firm lump in the breast area, sometimes accompanied by nipple retraction, discharge, or skin changes.
If you’re organizing an awareness event or sharing information this October, make sure your materials mention that men can develop breast cancer too. That small addition could prompt someone to get a lump checked rather than dismiss it.