October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

How October Became Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• The idea of a dedicated month of awareness for breast cancer began in the United States in 1985. The American Cancer Society and Imperial Chemical Industries (a pharmaceutical company, now part of AstraZeneca) initiated a week-long observance in October to raise awareness and funding for research.
• Over time this expanded from a week to a full month internationally, with many countries adopting October for breast cancer awareness and prevention campaign with emphasis on early detection.
• The pink ribbon became the widely recognized symbol of breast cancer with companies like Estee Lauder playing leading the role in making it the popular symbol it is today. So, October was chosen originally in the U.S., and then because of its success and expansion, adopted globally.

Greece: Current Programs & Initiatives for Prevention, Screening, Awareness

Greece now has several large‐scale programs, campaigns, and nonprofit/charity efforts aimed at breast cancer prevention, early detection, support, etc. Here are the main ones:

Prolamvano” (“I Prevent”) – National Public Health Prevention Program

This is government‐run screening program for breast cancer (digital mammography) is intended for women aged 45-74 with a Social Security Number (AMKA). The program is financed via the Recovery & Resilience Fund, intended to cover ~1.4-1.8 million women.

HellenicCancerSociety (Ελληνική Αντικαρκινική Εταιρεία ‐H.C.S.)

Local screening is also offered at many of their branches. Thanks to H.C.S's broad reach, 115,000+ women have been screened via their mobile units. H.C.S. offers free preventive examinations, in particular two mobile mammography units travelling around Greece to reach women who are socially excluded or in remote areas.

Broad reach, especially for women who might have reduced access to stationary screening facilities. To date tens of thousands (115,000+) women have been screened via the mobile units.

Affidea diagnostic centres – part of Fofi Gennimata program

Free digital mammograms under the Fofi Gennimata programare available to women 45-74, with AMKA, except those who already had a digital mammogram in the past year or those with breast cancer diagnosis in the last five years.

Alma Zois (Panhellenic Association of Women with Breast Cancer)

They offer awareness programs, especially during October. Example: their #IAmInformed campaign, which uses media (TV, radio, internet, public transport) to encourage women to get preventive screening

The awareness programs target the general female population, especially women in the age/risk groups, the goal is behavioural change: to increase screening uptake.

Greece Race for the Cure®

Funds/support programs for patients, awareness, advocacy. Examples include genetic counselling, psychological support, nutritional advice, peer support, legal counselling etc.

Women with breast cancer, or those at risk; also very public/fundraising/awareness events which help reach broader population.

The newer national prevention / screening efforts (especially “Prolamvano” and the Fofi Gennimata program) show several positive indicators for effective programs in Greece:

Scale of screening

Under “Prolamvano” / “Fofi Gennimata,” over 2.5 million free preventive checks have been carried out (including mammograms, cervical screening, etc.).

Specifically for breast cancer: over 765,065 digital mammograms done via “Fofi Gennimata.”

Early detection / actionable findings

From June 2022, through the initial phase targeting women aged 50-69, about 308,036 mammograms had been done, resulting in 20,330 breast cancer detections—many of which were at early stages.

Also, by November 2024, about 480,000 mammograms (after age criteria expansion to 45-74) and 16,500 ultrasounds had been done, from which ~29,000 cases of BIRADS 3 or higher were flagged (~6.5%) pointing to suspicious or higher risk findings.

Improved mammography access/infrastructure

Greece now has one of the highest availabilities of mammography units in the EU (7.1 per 100,000 women aged 50-69) which helps capacity for screening.

Participation / coverage

The participation rates are still modest but increasing. For example, when the “Fofi Gennimata.” program initially targeted 50-69 age group, participation was ~15.25% for mammograms, as of one report.

Also, eligibility has expanded (age group widened), inclusion of uninsured persons via AMKA, etc., improving reach.

Free exams through EOPYY and how that works

EOPYY (the National Organization for Health Care Services Provision) is Greece’s insurance / health services authority. Here’s how free mammograms / screening through EOPYY and related national programs are functioning:

• Free digital mammography under “Fofi Gennimata” is available to women aged 45-74 who have an AMKA (National Health Number). Exceptions: women who’ve had a digital mammogram in the last 12 months, or those diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years.
• The screening includes digital mammography, ultrasound when needed, and doctor’s visit in cases with abnormal findings.
• Examinations are free not only for insured women provided they have an AMKA number. This is part of the inclusivity push under the “Prolamvano” scheme.
• Referrals are arranged via digital prescriptions/automated notifications (SMS/email) if the woman is registered in the digital prescription (“paperless”) system.

While there are strong programs in place, there are some challenges:

• Uptake of screening is not yet optimal: in Greece, only a small percentage of cancer diagnoses come from preventive check-ups.
• Ensuring access in remote or underserved regions remains important; mobile units help, but coverage may vary.
• Public awareness and behaviour change are ongoing tasks: encouraging women to use available services, ensuring they understand risk is THE MISSION in October.