Since 1985, each year the fight against breast cancer is marked around the world in the month of October. This year in Egypt a number of entities have launched a series of events aimed to highlight the fight against breast cancer and spread awareness. In Egypt, breast cancer accounts for up to 35 percent of all cancer cases, according to the National Cancer Institute. It has the lion's share of the media spotlight, but it is only one of a number of types of cancer that affect women. The fight against gynecological cancers is marked yearly around the world in September. Organising events and campaigns that focus on the multifaceted experience that breast cancer patients and their relatives deal with has become a tradition in recent years and prompted instant success in reaching more and more women, spreading awareness and shedding light on stories of bravery that bring hope to those facing the long journey of treatment. Here is a list of upcoming breast cancer awareness events in October 2015: Sunday 11 Oct: The Egyptian Society for Women's Health (ESWH) will organise a conference at the American University in Cairo that tackles the importance of early breast cancer detection. Sunday 11 Oct: An event organised by members of the Global Youth Ambassadors Team of Egypt and the "You are Important" awareness campaign will see Abbes Bridge in Cairo coloured with pink balloons to inaugurate an awareness campaign that will spread into many governorates in Egypt. Tuesday 13 Oct: The "Bloom in Pink" event is organised by the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt (BCFE). It is a women-only event taking place at Swan Lake Compound in 6th of October City. The aim is to raise awareness and benefit the BCFE. Zumba and yoga classes will take place, as well as cooking lessons. Wednesday 21 Oct: ESWH will hold a "Health Food Convention" at the Four Seasons Hotel in Giza, highlighting the importance of certain recipes in fighting cancer. Friday 23 Oct: ESWH will organise a race with Egyptian running society Egy Runners, to highlight the importance of exercise as a tool against cancer, and to celebrate the stories of courageous survivors. Saturday 31 Oct: The 7th Pink Zumbathon event will take place for the benefit of the BCFE. The theme this year will be 80s and 90s nostalgia. Similar to events in previous years, dancing, games and many fun activities will make it a memorable occasion. This women-only event will take place at the Conrad Cairo Hotel. The National Cancer Registry of Egypt for the end of 2014 shows that cancer incidence in the country reached 113 new cases for every 100,000 citizens per year. With regards to males, on top of the list of cancers comes liver cancer — due largely to the spread of Hepatitis C — with 39 cases for every 10,000 persons annually, followed by bladder, lung, lymph glands and prostate cancer. For women, breast cancer top the list, with 35 cases per 10,000, followed by cancers of the liver, ovaries and lymph glands. source: Ahram online
