Colors and Months for Cancer Ribbons

Cancer ribbons are a great way to raise awareness, but we have heard from people who are embarrassed when they do not recognize a particular colored ribbon. The good news is that most people are understanding if you don’t know which ribbon color goes with which cancer, as there are a lot.  

But for those of you who wish to familiarize themselves, here’s a list of cancer ribbons that are used to raise awareness for common cancers, as well as the awareness months some 

A light purple or lavender ribbon is generally used to represent all cancers as a whole. Sometimes, instead, many different ribbons are combined together to represent all cancers.

Uncommon or rare cancers may be represented in a few ways—either with a light purple ribbon or a black and white zebra print ribbon. The zebra stands for a common saying in medicine. In a field of horses, you are most likely to see horses, but many who are living with cancer realize that "zebras" (rare cancers) occur as well, and when you add all of these uncommon and rare cancers together, they are actually quite common.

It's important to note that a specific cancer may be represented by more than one ribbon color and that this can vary depending on where you live. Some ribbon colors also represent specific non-profit groups who advocate for a particular type of cancer. For example, a white or pearl ribbon is used to represent lung cancer, but turquoise ribbons are used by one of the lung cancer organizations.

In addition, there are months dedicated to certain types of cancer, also listed below. June is National Cancer Survivor month

• All Cancers – Light Purple (Lavender)
• Appendix Cancer – Amber
• Bile Duct Cancer – Green (February)
• Bladder Cancer - Yellow (May)
• Bone Cancer – Yellow
• Bone Marrow Transplant – Green
• Brain Cancer – Gray (May)
• Breast Cancer (Women) – Pink (Hot Pink for Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Teal, and Pink for Hereditary Breast Cancer, Teal and Pink for Breast and Gynecologic Cancers Together)
• Breast Cancer (Men) – Light Baby Pink and Baby Blue (October)
• Cancer Survivor – Purple
• Carcinoid Syndrome – Black and White (Zebra-Striped) (November)
• Caregiver – Lavender
• Cervical Cancer – Teal and White (January)
• Childhood Cancer – Gold (September)
• Cholangiocarcinoma - Yellow
• Chondrosarcoma – Yellow
• Colon Cancer – Blue or Brown (March)
• Colorectal Cancer – Blue or Brown (March)
• Endometrial Cancer - Peach
• Esophageal Cancer – Light Purple (periwinkle) (April)
• Ewing's Sarcoma – Yellow
• Gallbladder Cancer – Yellow (February)
• Gastric Cancer – Periwinkle Blue
• Glioblastoma – Gray
• Gynecological Cancer - Teal
• Head and Neck Cancer – Burgundy and Ivory or Red and White (April)

If you or a loved one has cancer, or you simply want to raise awareness for a cancer (or all cancers), wearing a colored ribbon can be your first step. In the end, your support for cancer education and compassion will not go unnoticed. 

Sources:

Choose Hope. Calendar of Cancer Awareness Months.

Choose Hope. Cancer Color or Type.

South Florida Cancer Association. Our Adoption and Display of the Cancer Awareness Ribbon.