P&G teams with National Breast Cancer Foundation to encourage early detection
CINCINNATI In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, Procter & Gamble has partnered with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to help educate women on the importance of early breast cancer detection.
As part of the partnership, P&G has made a donation to the NBCF to provide free mammograms for women who could not otherwise afford them. To celebrate this donation, several P&G brands, including Olay, Crest and Pantene, are “going pink.” The pink versions of the brands will be available on shelves during October.
“P&G is proud to support the NBCF’s efforts to raise awareness about the importance of early breast cancer detection,” stated P&G marketing director Janet Fletcher. “We hope that our support will help women in need obtain necessary breast cancer screenings and that our pink ribbon products will serve as a reminder for women to get screened regularly for breast cancer.”
To further support early detection, NBCF, with support from P&G, have developed a tool that enables women to personalize an early detection plan. Consumers can customize the tool by visiting www.mypinkplan.com, and consumers can opt in to receive virtual reminders to schedule a breast cancer screening via email, SMS text and instant messenger. For every personalized plan created, P&G will make an additional donation of $1 to the NBCF.
When breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 96 percent. More than two million breast cancer survivors are alive today in the United States. Breast cancer becomes more difficult to treat the more advanced it is at first diagnosis.
It is recommended that women perform breast self-exams and schedule clinical breast exams every three years, starting at age 20. Women should also start having a baseline mammogram and annual clinical breast exams by age 40, and even earlier for women who are at higher risk. As women age past 40, mammograms should be received more frequently, up to once a year.