Colors and Months for Cancer Ribbons

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

If you wish to familiarize yourself, here’s a list of cancer ribbons that are used to raise awareness for common cancers, as well as the awareness months some have associated with them.

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: "When you hear hoof beats, look for horses, not zebras." In a field of horses, you are most likely to see horses, but occasionally, you will spot a zebra. 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 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 is the color of an American Lung Association initiative.

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
• Bladder Cancer - Yellow, purple and navy blue (May)
• Blood Cancer - Red (September)
• Bone Cancer – Yellow (July)
• 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) – Pink and blue (October)
• Cancer Survivor – Lavender (June)
• Carcinoid Syndrome – Black and white zebra-striped (November)
• Caregiver – Purple (November)
• Cervical Cancer – Teal and white (January)
• Childhood Cancer – Gold (September)
• Colon Cancer – Dark blue (March)
• Colorectal Cancer – Dark blue (March)
• Endometrial Cancer - Peach
• Esophageal Cancer – Light purple/periwinkle (April)
• Ewing's Sarcoma – Yellow (July)
• Gallbladder/Bile Duct Cancer – Green (February)
• Gastric Cancer – Periwinkle blue (November)
• Glioblastoma – Gray
• Gynecological Cancer - Purple (September)
• Head and Neck Cancer – Burgundy and ivory or red and white (April)
• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - Violet (September)
• Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma) – Green or orange (March)
• Laryngeal Cancer – Burgundy and White
• Leiomyosarcoma - Purple (July)
• Leukemia – Orange (September)
• Liver Cancer – Emerald or jade green (October)
• Lung Cancer – Pearl, clear, or white (November)
• Lymphedema – Light blue
• Lymphoma (Non-Hodgkins) – Lime green (September)
• Melanoma – Black (May)
• Mesothelioma - Pearl
• Myeloma – Burgundy (March)
• Myeloproliferative Diseases – Orange and Red
• Neuroendocrine Cancers – Black and white zebra-striped (November)
• Oral Cancer – Burgundy and white (April)
• Osteosarcoma - Yellow (July)
• Ovarian Cancer – Teal (September)
• Pancreatic Cancer – Purple (November)
• Pharyngeal Cancer – Burgundy and white (April)
• Prostate Cancer – Light blue (September)
• Rare Diseases (including rare cancers) – Black and white zebra-striped
• Rectal Cancer – Blue (March)
• Retinoblastoma – White
• Sarcoma – Yellow (July)
• Skin Cancer – Black (May)
• Skin Cancer (Squamous Cell Carcinoma) – Red and white (May)
• Small Intestine Cancer – Periwinkle blue
• Stomach Cancer – Periwinkle blue (November)
• Testicular Cancer – Purple (orchid; April)
• Throat Cancer – Burgundy and white
• Thyroid Cancer – Blue, pink, and teal (September)
• Uterine Cancer – Peach (September)
• Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia – Pearl

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