Lights illuminate Breast Cancer Month

The Jungfrau's Sphinx will be lit up as part of the events Keystone

The famous Jet d'Eau of Geneva, Zurich's opera house and the Jungfrau's Sphinx were lit in shades of pink on Monday evening, to mark National Breast Cancer Month in Switzerland.

It is the second time that Switzerland has participated in the international campaign to support victims of the disease.

The breast cancer awareness campaign in Switzerland will focus on providing information, and will emphasise solidarity among victims of the disease, as well as screening for the cancers.

An estimated 4,000 women in Switzerland are affected by breast cancer every year. At least 1,500 of them eventually die of the disease.

The health minister, Ruth Dreifuss, has called on all Swiss women to prevent the onset of the disease by undergoing a mammogram as soon as possible.

Encouraging mammograms

A national mammography day will be marked on October 19. The day is also set aside for mammography awareness in many other countries.

Breast cancer usually affects the mammary glands, where the first symptom is often marked by the formation of a lump, which may or may not turn out to be malignant. Detection of cancerous lumps is done with the help of biopsies or mammograms.

The treatment for breast cancer is often surgery, supplemented by chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Although the current campaign targets women for its preventative efforts, a small percentage of men develop the disease each year, as well.

swissinfo with agencies