Cancer Support & Coping Colors and Months for Cancer Ribbons A Bright, Meaningful Way to Raise Awareness By Lynne Eldridge, MD facebook Lynne Eldrige, MD, is a lung cancer physician, patient advocate, and award-winning author of "Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time." Learn about our editorial process Lynne Eldridge, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Doru Paul, MD on November 01, 2019 Doru Paul, MD, is triple board-certified in medical oncology, hematology, and internal medicine. He is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending physician in the Department of Hematology Oncology at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. Learn about our Medical Review Board Doru Paul, MD on November 01, 2019 Print More in Cancer Support & Coping Sharing Your Diagnosis Causes & Risk Factors Diagnosis Living With Prevention Bladder Cancer Brain Tumors Breast Cancer Symptoms Treatment Leukemia Lung Cancer More Cancer Types Cervical Cancer Childhood Cancer Colon Cancer Gastric Cancer Head & Neck Cancer Liver Cancer Lymphoma Ovarian Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Prostate Cancer Skin Cancer Testicular Cancer Thyroid Cancer View All 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. Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin Colors and Months for Cancer-Related Ribbons 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 hoofbeats, 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. Cancer Ribbons Cancer Ribbon Month All cancers Light purple (lavender) Appendix cancer Amber Bladder cancer Yellow, purple and navy blue May Bone cancer Yellow July Bone marrow transplant Green Brain cancer Gray May Breast cancer Pink Breast cancer (inflammatory) Hot pink Breast cancer (hereditary) Teal and pink Breast cancer with gynecologic cancers Teal and pink Breast cancer (in men) Pink and blue October Cancer survivor Lavender June Carcinoid syndrome Black and white zebra stripes 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 (stomach) cancer Periwinkle blue November Glioblastoma Gray Gynecological cancer Purple September Head and neck cancer Burgundy and ivory, or red and white April Hodgkin 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-Hodgkin) Lime green September Melanoma Black May Mesothelioma Pearl Myeloma Burgundy March Myeloproliferative diseases Orange and red Neuroendocrine cancers Black and white zebra-stripes 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-stripes 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 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 A Word From Verywell 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Limiting processed foods and red meats can help ward off cancer risk. These recipes focus on antioxidant-rich foods to better protect you and your loved ones. Sign up and get your guide! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Choose Hope. Cancer Color or Type. Choose Hope. Calendar of Cancer Awareness Months.