September wraps up a big month of cancer awareness. It is the awareness month for childhood cancer, gynecologic cancer, leukemia and lymphoma, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and thyroid cancer. Awareness days bring people together to provide educational and fundraising opportunities, and they can help shine a brighter light on the need for funding and research. If you ordered anything from Amazon recently, you may have noticed just how impactful awareness months can be. During the month of September Amazon partnered with the American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) and helped raise awareness by using special packaging designed with the childhood cancer gold ribbon symbol. That kind of exposure can lead to increased funding and support from those who might not otherwise be aware that every three minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer, and it remains the deadliest disease for children in the United States. Learn more at acco.org.

Like leukemia and lymphoma, multiple myeloma is a blood cancer, and while its awareness month is in March, this month there is some promising news for treating the incurable cancer, says biospace.com. The FDA approved the drug Darzalex to be used in combination with other medications for patients newly diagnosed and eligible for autologous stem cell transplant. Studies showed that adding Darzalex to the other medications reduced disease progression or death by 53 percent. More information about the uses of Darzalex can be found here.

Something else to be aware of this month is the potential danger of a popular heartburn medication, reports webmd.com. Ranitidine, known as Zantac, and several generic versions, may pose a cancer risk. The FDA found a cancer causing substance in the drug, and now at least one manufacturer has recalled the drug, and another one has stopped distributing it. It is not yet known why lab testing discovered a carcinogen in the drug, but if you take Zantac, or one of the generic versions, you should probably talk to your doctor, and read more about the findings here.

Of course, it would be ideal if we didn’t have to be aware of cancer at all anymore, and that just may be the case in the future, thanks to a “magic” treatment, says medicalxpress.com. Researchers, using a super computer, have found a molecule that could fix any cancer-related issues in the body. The molecule is promising because, unlike other immunotherapies, it could be sold in pill form, could reach deeper into tissues, and would leave the body faster, reducing negative side effects. Also, it could be used to fight several kinds of cancers including melanoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, and brain cancer. The magic pill still has further development, but the research is moving from the lab to animal testing, so fingers crossed that before long this magic molecule leads to a cure. You can find out more here.

September also hosts Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day, so mark your calendar for next year, and make sure you don’t miss any other important awareness dates. They can be found on the Patient Empowerment Network (PEN) Cancer Awareness Calendar, here.