A Bright, Meaningful Way to Raise Awareness
Lynne Eldridge, MD Medically reviewed by Douglas A. Nelson, MD
Cancer ribbons are a great way to raise awareness, but sometimes people aren’t sure what a specific color of ribbon is for. There are a lot of them!
If you wish to know more about the cancer ribbon colors, here’s a handy chart that lists the cancer types and some of the awareness months associated with them.
Colors and Months for Cancer-Related Ribbons
A light purple or lavender ribbon often is used to represent all cancers as a whole. Sometimes, many different ribbons are combined together to represent all cancers.
Uncommon or rare cancers may be represented by 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.
Some who live with cancer realize that “zebras” (rare cancers) occur as well, and when you add all of these 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 nonprofit 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. June is National Cancer Survivor Month, for example, with others seen in the list below.
| 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 |
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