NewsAwareness
Cancer Awareness Months: What Each Month Highlights, and What October Means
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Here is a month-by-month guide to cancer awareness observances, and how to use them wisely.
Original commentary from the Cancer Explained editorial team.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
Is there one "Cancer Awareness Month"?
There is no single cancer awareness month. Instead, many cancer groups choose a month to focus on one type of cancer. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) keeps a list. Some months have several observances. August and December have none on that list.
Most of these are set by patient and advocacy groups. They are not official medical guidance. They are a good time to learn, but not a reason by themselves to get tested.
Month by month
This is the AACR list.
- January: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
- February: National Cancer Prevention Month, and Gallbladder and Bile Duct Cancer Awareness Month.
- March: Colorectal, Kidney, and Multiple Myeloma awareness months.
- April: Esophageal, Head and Neck, and Testicular awareness months.
- May: National Cancer Research Month, plus Bladder, Brain, and Melanoma and Skin Cancer awareness months.
- June: National Cancer Survivor Month.
- July: Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Awareness Month.
- September: Childhood Cancer, Leukemia and Lymphoma, Ovarian, Prostate, Thyroid, and Gynecologic awareness months.
- October: Breast Cancer and Liver Cancer awareness months.
- November: Neuroendocrine Tumors, Gastric, Lung, and Pancreatic awareness months.
What October highlights
Breast cancer is the best known. The American Cancer Society (ACS) projects about 324,580 new US breast cancer cases and about 42,670 deaths in 2026. Liver cancer is far less common, with about 42,340 new cases projected, but about 30,980 deaths. That gap is one reason liver cancer gets its own month.
If you want to act in October, the useful step is simple. Ask your care team which screening tests are right for your age and history. Screening advice for breast cancer differs between groups and depends on age and risk. Our guide to cancer screening explains how to think about it.
What comes next
September, which just ended, includes Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Our page on prostate cancer awareness explains why that month's message is a conversation about screening, not a command to test.
November brings Lung and Pancreatic awareness months. Those two cancers cause the most and the third most cancer deaths in the US, based on the ACS projections for 2026: about 124,990 lung cancer deaths and about 52,740 pancreatic cancer deaths. February, National Cancer Prevention Month, is a good time to review things you can change. See prevention for more.
What this does not mean
It does not mean a month with an observance is the only time to see a doctor. Symptoms that last should be checked at any time of year.
It does not mean more awareness always means more testing is better. For some cancers, screening helps many people. For others, its benefits and harms are closely balanced and the choice is personal.
It does not mean the colors or ribbons tell you how much a cancer matters. Cancers with no month on the list, or with a month shared among many, still affect people.
And it does not mean a fundraising campaign is medical advice. If you are unsure whether a claim in a campaign is accurate, check the sources, or ask your care team.
Sources
- American Association for Cancer Research, Cancer Awareness Months (accessed 2026-10-06) — https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/awareness-months/
- American Cancer Society, estimated new cases and deaths by site, 2026 (accessed 2026-10-06) — https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2026/mr6-leading-sites-2026-branded.pdf
How this article was prepared
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.
The National Cancer Information Foundation publishes Cancer Explained. This page is for learning. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.
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Put the story in context
Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Cancer awareness. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
Learn about this story’s cancer topic
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.