Crown Princess Victoria is patron of the Pink Ribbon for the 18th year

Crown Princess Victoria is patron of the Swedish Cancer Society's Pink Ribbon campaign for the 18th year running. The campaign began on Thursday 1 October and continues through the month.

The aim of the campaign is to raise money for cancer research, spread knowledge about cancer and influence decision makers on important questions.

• The elephant on the ribbon

This year's pink ribbon was designed by the illustrator and multidisciplinary artist Owe Gustafson. The motif is the pink elephant from the Swedish children's programme Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter. The elephant stands for wisdom, and for the strength that comes from supporting one another and standing together.

• 8,500 affected every year

Around 8,500 women in Sweden are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. It is the most common form of cancer among women, and the second most common cause of cancer death after lung cancer. One in ten women aged 75 has or has had breast cancer.

Thanks to research, nearly nine out of ten now survive breast cancer.

• Held every year since 2003

The money raised during the campaign makes up a significant part of what the Swedish Cancer Society hands out each year to Swedish cancer research. The funds go to the most promising research, whatever the form of cancer.

The Pink Ribbon campaign has been held every year since 2003. The pink ribbon is today an international symbol in the fight against breast cancer, and every October, the international breast cancer month, it brings people together across the world.