(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Governor Mike Parson has ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome to shine pink on Friday, October 21, 2022, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The dome will light up pink at sunset tomorrow and remain lit until sunrise. The color pink commemorates those lost to breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, those battling the disease, and medical professionals and researchers.

"We all likely know someone in our lives who has had to face a breast cancer diagnosis," Governor Parson said. "We light the Capitol pink to recognize our many Missourians affected by breast cancer, those providing support and resources to cancer patients, and those working to find a cure.”

Breast cancer accounts for one-third of all cancers diagnosed among women in Missouri and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women behind lung cancer. Approximately one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. On average, nearly 6,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in Missouri women.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation recognizes October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month each year to increase awareness of the disease and promote early detection through breast cancer screening. In Missouri, the Show Me Healthy Women program offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings for Missouri women who meet age, income, and insurance guidelines. The Missouri Cancer Consortium and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Comprehensive Cancer Program also released the state’s Cancer Action Plan today, which is being used as a guide for cancer control and prevention work across the state through 2025.

At this time, there is no guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer for women who are at average risk. This is why screening by mammography, clinic breast examination, and breast self-examination are so important.