OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer and is the leading cause of cancer death in the female population. Although lower incidence rates of breast cancer are observed in developing countries comparing to developed countries, the mortality rate is on the rise implying due to low- and middle-income countries lack the resources for preventative screening for early detection and adequate treatment resources. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of Pink October Campaign in the mammographic screening adherence in a national based private health insurance in Brazil.

METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive, and retrospective study in a population of adult women who underwent mammographic screening from 2019 to 2022. Insurance database source was analyzed, extracting rate of mammograms per 100 women, comparing year quarters. For statistical analysis, the Shapiro Wilk test was used to verify the normality of the sample and subsequent analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Turk's post-test, assuming p<0.05 for statistical significance.

RESULTS: During the study, the average number of exams performed monthly over the four years was 20,718 (annual average of 5,180). The average annual mammography rate in the period was 23%. An increase in the number of mammograms performed in the last quarter of the year was identified, respectively 10%, 68%, 31%, and 19%, with statistical significance (p < 0,05) in relation to the three first quarters of each year.

CONCLUSIONS: This study showed an increase in mammographic screening in the quarter following the Pink October Campaign, which transmitted and popularized health information and induced behaviors related to this information in a private insurance in Brazil. The presented results reinforce the importance to maintain our program that encourage the annual mammography regarding the screening and early detection of breast cancer.