Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Every year, approximately 1.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide.1 Thanks to early detection, thousands of lives are saved each year. Philips strives to advance patient care of many of today’s deadly diseases and digital mammography has proven to be a powerful diagnostic tool for the early detection of breast cancer. In fact, when breast cancer is detected before it has spread to lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate in many countries is now well over 90 percent.2
Awareness of the need for preventative screening is growing and medical professionals in many countries are searching for new ways to cope with the increasing need for early diagnosis of the disease. In Sweden for example, Philips sponsors the Pink Ribbon campaign and in collaboration with the Cancer Society, developed the “Rosa test”, which gives guidance on preventive measures to fight against breast cancer with a healthy lifestyle and regular self-checks.
In Brazil, Philips is partnering with the City hall of Rio de Janeiro and national education and health organization CIES (Centro de Integração de Educação e Saúde) to help mobilize the society and improve the accessibility to professional screening facilities. Philips is touring the country with a mobile health truck and plans to give mammograms to over 2,000 women and share educational material to increase awareness.
We also partner with the world-leading cosmetics group Esteé Lauder Companies (ELC), which has supported the Pink Ribbon charity for over ten years with its Global Landmark Illuminations initiative. In the month of October, approximately 200 prominent landmarks around the world will be lit and will shine in a pink light. As a beacon of hope, these landmarks remind millions of women and men of the benefits of early prevention of breast cancer. This campaign started on September 29th of October with lighting Selfridge’s department store on Oxford Street in London. Other renowned landmarks such as the Yokohama Marine Tower in Japan and the Palazzo Marino in Milan will follow.
Follow the campaign at Twitter #lightitpink and blog: http://community.lighting.philips.com/blogs/lightitpink
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1 Source: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation http://www.bcrfcure.org/res_faq.html
2 Source: Philips Healthcare http://www.healthcare.philips.com/main/clinicalspecialities/WomensHealthCare/imaging/mammography/index.wpd
