Hillsborough Township recognized September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Mayor Shawn Lipani presented a proclamation at a Township Committee meeting on Sept. 13.
Township officials and members of the public tied teal ribbons around trees outside the Hillsborough Municipal Building to raise awareness and in honor of the “mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, community members and cherished friends.”
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is estimating that 12,810 American women are projected to lose their lives to ovarian cancer this year, according to the proclamation.
Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system, according to ACS.
Women who are middle aged and older, who have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer or have had certain cancers in the past are at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to the proclamation.
Because ovarian cancer often goes undetected until advanced stages, increasing the awareness of risk factors is critical to fighting this disease, as it is estimated that about 19,880 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the proclamation.
The public awareness campaign strives to increase knowledge about this disease and recognizes the best defense against ovarian cancer is early detection.
Therefore, it is essential that women know the risk factors associated with the disease, and that men are educated so they can help their wives, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and girlfriends.
September is dedicated to the prevention and awareness of ovarian cancer. It is also to honor those we have lost, show our support for women who bravely carry on the fight, and take action to lessen the tragic toll ovarian cancer takes on families across our country, according to the proclamation.
