ACPMP marks Appendix Cancer Awareness Month with amber landmarks and registry push

The Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation is using August to boost awareness of appendix cancer with landmark lightings, state proclamations and a global patient registry. The campaign comes as the rare disease remains widely misdiagnosed and research funding still trails more common cancers.

Why it matters: - Appendix cancer is rare, affecting about two to nine people per million each year. - The disease is often diagnosed late because early symptoms can look like common digestive issues. - ACPMP’s August campaign is aimed at getting more data, more research funding and earlier diagnoses for a disease that has long been overlooked.

What happened: - The Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation is marking August as Appendix Cancer Awareness Month. - ACPMP is running its annual Light Up Amber for Appendix Cancer campaign to illuminate landmarks, businesses and hospitals in amber. - The foundation says this August is its busiest awareness push yet. - Governors in Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, South Dakota and Wisconsin have issued proclamations recognizing August as Appendix Cancer Awareness Month.

The details: - ACPMP lit 143 landmarks last year across 34 states and provinces and four countries. - Amber is the awareness color for appendix cancer and pseudomyxoma peritonei, or PMP. - The foundation is expanding its global patient registry and natural history study during August. - The ACPMP Patient Registry is operating under full Institutional Review Board approval with ongoing oversight. - The registry collects patient and caregiver data and stores it in a global data bank for appendix cancer research. - ACPMP says the registry was designed with input from researchers, physicians, patients and caregivers to address major knowledge gaps. - The registry is free and open to patients and caregivers worldwide at acpmpregistry.iamrare.org. - Since 2008, ACPMP has funded 51 research grants worth nearly $2.5 million. - Most of that funding came from patients, families and supporters. - ACPMP says the grants have supported work on earlier diagnosis and better treatment for appendix cancer and PMP.

Between the lines: - A 2025 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found rising appendix cancer rates among younger Americans, with adults born in the mid-1980s showing rates several times higher than earlier generations. - The rise adds urgency to research on a disease that is still frequently misdiagnosed. - ACPMP is relying on patients and families to do much of the awareness work because larger cancer groups and many medical centers still give the disease limited attention. - The foundation’s model depends on community participation, local landmark lightings and registry enrollment to build the evidence base researchers need.

What's next: - ACPMP wants more landmarks, hospitals and businesses to light amber during August. - The foundation is asking patients and caregivers to join the registry, share educational posts and support research funding. - More state proclamations are expected as the month continues. - Patient stories, symptom information and the month’s schedule are available at acpmp.org/August.

The bottom line: - ACPMP is using Appendix Cancer Awareness Month to turn a rare, overlooked disease into a larger national research and awareness effort.