Promoting Breast Cancer Research Semipostal Stamps in October

The Postal Service will mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October by highlighting its semipostal research stamp.

Each year in the United States, about 245,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 2,200 in men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 41,000 women and 460 men in the United States die each year from breast cancer.

USPS introduced the Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp in 1998.

More than 1 billion stamps have been sold since then, raising more than $89 million for breast cancer research, including a landmark study on early-stage breast cancer detection.

The stamp is available year-round at Post Offices and usps.com.

Last month, USPS announced approved T-shirts that employees could purchase to wear in October to promote the stamp.

The Postal Service also reminded employees to only promote semipostal stamp activities or events in accordance with USPS Ethics Office guidelines. Seeking donations or holding raffles or drawings tied to semipostal stamps is not permitted.

Employees who have questions should email them to Ethics.Help@usps.gov.