Breast cancer: Panic, worst advisor, preventive control saves lives

When we talk about prevention we mean any action done to reduce the possibility of developing the disease. Theoretically, prevention can be primary, i.e. prevent the occurrence of a disease, and secondary, i.e. diagnose the occurrence of the disease as early as possible (at its early/original stage) “In breast cancer there can be no primary prevention, however there is secondary prevention and even quite effective as evidence suggests, as despite the increase in breast cancer cases the number of deaths from the disease is declining,” notes Maroulio Stathulopoulou Director of Clinical Breast Surgery at Metropolitan Hospital, Chairman of the Annex Locridos of the Hellenic Cancer Society. “What is the cause of this event?” he continues: “In secondary prevention, new more advanced treatments, women’s increasingly courageous attitude towards disease, better information and attempt to identify risk factors for breast cancer and trigger some proven protective factors”. Risk factors Disease risk factors are categorized as reversible and irreversible. Factors that are not reversible are family history, genetic factors, individual history, molecular type of breast cancer, onset and cessation of menstruation and race. Reversible risk factors, i.e. factors that we can in various ways significantly alter the risk of breast cancer, are reproductive history, contraceptive use, hormonal substitution therapy, alcohol consumption, obesity and smoking. Protective agents The protective factors are: aerobic exercise and weight control. This means that by adopting a more proper diet such as Mediterranean and putting exercise in our lives, combined with a definitive cessation of smoking and a reduction in alcohol consumption, we reduce the risk of breast cancer (and other cancers). ‘Let it be noted,’ states the expert, ‘that the reversal of risk factors and the application of protective factors reduce the risk but do not ensure that cancer does not develop. That is why secondary prevention is needed, namely early diagnosis of the disease, which can be achieved in specific ways: preventive control (clinical breast examination, mammography and other imaging tests), and self-examination of the breast.” Preventive control Breast cancer has an asymptomatic phase (there is no symptoms), which can be detected with mammography from 1 to 5 years before its clinical event. This alone shows not only how important preventive control is but also why it should not be neglected or postponed. But what women and when should they be examined? “The age of onset of preventive control is 40 years . This includes mammography and clinical examination. Women 40 years of age and older should have a full preventive check every year, while women between 20 and 30 years should undergo clinical examination every three years. High risk women (with family or individual history or genetic predisposition) should undergo a clinical examination every 6-12 months from the age of 25 or 10 years before the age of breast cancer to their younger relative. They should also be subject to an annual MRI (magnetic tomography) check from 25 years of age or, alternatively, an MRI failure, a mast ultrasound and, in addition, an annual mammogram from 30 years. Finally, women from 55 to over 75 years, i.e. after menopause, should be strictly examined each year, because in these ages breast malignancies occur more often” stresses Mrs Stathoulopoulou. Can preventive control be omitted? No, preventive control cannot and must not be omitted or neglected for any reason. ” Breast cancer is a cancer that is fully cured when diagnosed in time and the absolute condition of early diagnosis is preventive control. If a patient loses/forgets/forgets a mammogram, the consequences may be limited or do not exist, but if he loses more, the impact can be extremely serious with material costs, burdening the health care system and possibly a life unjustly lost. This happened, unfortunately, at the beginning of the pandemic, when many women delayed checks and mammograms and thus were not diagnosed in time,” he says. Self-examination Self-examination aims to detect by the woman herself any change in the breast and her without delay visit to the specialist physician. It is good to do it once a month for each woman and, especially for women with menstruation, as soon as the period is over, because then the breast is smoother, less swollen and painless. If in a self – examination, a woman discovers that there is something, she should not panic, for 7 out of 10 onions palpable to the breast are not malignant. Usually it is a simple cyst or benign form. Better information Today, the consistency of women with regard to the necessary preventive controls on breast cancer is much greater than before and in this role is the fact that there is all year-round information on the benefits of prevention (by NGOs, medical teams and all media), free screening is carried out and offers are made that make the examinations easier, culminating in October, a month dedicated to preventing the disease. Women’s courageous attitude towards disease A woman who is informed that she is suffering from breast cancer surely at first panics. However, after the first shock, some women become convinced and tell themselves they will succeed. “My 17-year experience tells me that women who were not afraid of the disease were afraid of the disease, because they faced it with much better psychology. Good psychology enhances the body and its immune system and helps to realize that pain, falling hair and changing the patient’s image are passing through, while treatment can be definitive. All any woman should be afraid of is going to surgery with a finding on the breast without knowing what it is. This is perhaps the point that requires greater vigor than women. Important help in the patient’s good psychology can offer her environment, as what is asked of familiar, relatives and friends on such an occasion is to support their man. Don’t show panic, don’t close your eyes, be close to her. Talk to her, support her when her image changes. To do whatever it takes to relieve her, but also to accompany her to the treatments and if they consider that they themselves need psychological support, to seek her out. In addition, it is important for children to participate in the whole process, if they are at an age they can understand. The priority of all must be the person who is ill,” the doctor points out. The mastectomy is no longer what it was “The new most advanced therapeutic approaches to breast cancer now combine oncological safety with a good aesthetic result. Women undergoing mastectomy can then have a restoration of their breast image, as if they have performed cosmetic surgery, since a plastic surgeon is also involved in the surgical team. This contributes very much to the quality of life and good psychology after the disease,” concludes Mrs Stathoulopoulou. ” Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second cause of cancer death worldwide. About 6,000 new cases per year are reported in Greece, while it is estimated that 1 out of 8 women around the world will experience breast cancer at some stage of her life. These figures showing the magnitude of the risk give even greater value to events that have had a good outcome, even against late or wrong initial diagnoses such as those that follow,” tells Maroulio Stathoulopoulou. “One is that of a 29-year-old woman, to whom they had removed a supposedly benign tumor, which then proved to be malignant and due to one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. We subjected the woman to chemotherapy. After positive gene testing we did double mastectomy and rehabilitation and despite all the difficulties, today this girl has made her own family, has two children and managed to make all this adventure power. Another is that of a woman who, when I announced to her that she had breast cancer, she panicked so much that for a long time she did not come to the appropriate treatment. Finally, after a long time he visited me again, we went on, fortunately without much burden on the prognosis, and, now, this woman is a volunteer at a women’s club urging all women not to neglect preventive control and giving them strength with her personal example.”