Rivkin Center educating and encouraging women to be their own best advocate during Ovarian and Breast Cancer Awareness Months
SEATTLE – Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed. And because of delayed screenings and treatments during Covid, this year’s Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (September) and Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) take on even greater significance.
“The cancer community is deeply concerned about everyone who, over the past 18 months, hasn’t been screened or received the treatment they need to survive because of fear of getting Covid, loss of health insurance, or overcrowded hospitals,” said Molly O’Connor, CEO of the Rivkin Center, which funds ovarian cancer research and educates women of all ages about ovarian and breast cancer. “Early detection and early treatment make all the difference, especially for ovarian cancer, which is often caught at later stages because of its subtle symptoms and no universal screening.”
To remind people about the signs and symptoms of breast and ovarian cancer and give them tools to be fierce advocates for their own health, the Rivkin Center has launched www.rivkin.org/awareness. Visitors can assess their risk for getting breast and ovarian cancer using a free and simple risk calculator and sign up to learn more about breast and ovarian cancer during a fun, frank and fear-free 45-minute virtual education workshop on either Sept. 29 or Oct. 20, 2021.
Each year, more than 2.3 million people are diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer worldwide. Today the statistic is 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime; ovarian cancer is 1 in 75.
Having female body parts and getting older are the biggest risks for both cancers, but younger people can also be diagnosed. And not all populations have equal risk and survival rates. Black women disproportionately die from both breast and ovarian cancer, even though they have similar or lower rates of these diseases than white women.
About the Rivkin Center
Founded 25 years ago, Seattle-based Rivkin Center invests in cutting-edge ovarian cancer research throughout the world; educates individuals at colleges, communities and corporations to prevent and detect ovarian and breast cancer; and fosters an ever-growing community of survivors, patients, researchers, clinicians, advocates and supporters. The Rivkin Center’s work is part of the legacy of renowned and now-retired Swedish Cancer Institute Medical Oncologist Saul Rivkin, M.D., in loving memory of his wife Marsha, who lost her life to ovarian cancer in 1994.
Media Contact
Molly O’Connor, CEO
206.490.0878