The beginning of October brings the 25th Anniversary of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the launch of Project Pink Tank – a project looking at diver health outcomes among breast cancer survivors.
Following their recovery from breast cancer, previously scuba certified women often reinstate diving as a form of exercise and mental relaxation. While the number of breast cancer survivors in the dive community continues to increase, however, the knowledge about potential mental benefits, physical advantages, long term effects of surgery or other cancer therapies on diver behavior and health is still relatively limited. Project Pink Tank is addressing this gap – it is a first step towards improving the understanding of diver health among cancer survivors.
The first phase of Project Pink Tank is a community-based survey of breast cancer survivors who have a dive certification. Information on study participation, a link to the web-based questionnaire and additional study details will be available shortly. Findings from the study, conducted through the not-for-profit Rubicon Foundation and in collaboration with PADI, Duke Dive Medicine and VR Technology, will provide the basis for future research studies and a medical consensus conference on cancer survivorship and diver health.