The figures in Colombia, according to the data reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on its Globocan page, show that breast cancer ranked first in prevalence with 13.7% of cancer in the country, which corresponded to 15,509 new cases and 4,411 deaths from this type of cancer in 2020.
Against this background, prevention and early diagnosis are key.
With ultrasounds and magnetic resonances, abnormalities in the breasts are identified.
According to the specialist, this includes ultrasounds and MRIs in patients who have a denser breast; who are found to have some type of abnormality or who are at increased risk.
“In these patients, early detection can save their lives because we already know that more or less than 70% of the patients who die, approximately 25% of them never had an early detection test”, he maintains.
Botero adds that it’s important to identify early signs of breast cancer in both men and women. These can become visible due to the presence of masses or lesions in the breast or armpit area, changes in the size or shape of the breast, skin or nipple changes, and even visible asymmetries when looking in the mirror. .
- For those women with a positive family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer, it is essential to consult with a health professional to assess whether they have a genetic predisposition.
- Not all people who have a family history of breast cancer necessarily carry the cancer-related gene, but for those patients who have a positive breast cancer genetic study (BRCA 1- BRCA2) having it increases the risk of developing breast cancer by up to more than 50%.
- Women who have a family member who has been diagnosed with breast cancer are advised to start mammography earlier. If they are in their 20s, they can start having routine exams at home, once a month and after menstruation, to detect abnormalities or masses.
- The patient’s lifestyle can have an impact on cancer prevention in anyone. Eating a healthy diet, being physically active, cutting back on alcohol, and quitting smoking can reduce your chances.
- Do self-examination regularly, because only then can any change be detected. Whether it’s a mass or skin changes, any discharge from the nipple, whether it’s milk or blood, is important.
- Consult with the doctor, either the primary doctor or gynecologist, before any change that is evident.
About 15-20 years ago, the curability rate was 60%, while today we are reaching 90%
For her part, the radio oncologist assures that both the knowledge about the disease and the procedures, steeped in technology, have changed a lot.
“Right now we have new systemic therapies such as targeted therapies or immunotherapy, and high-tech radiation therapies, which allow us to treat metastatic patients and put them in remission for a long time, sometimes indefinitely,” he said. With this, chemotherapy is no longer the main option in all cases.
Breast cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts.
In addition, in terms of surgeries, these are less and less invasive, both to extract the tumor and to reconstruct it, if that is the patient’s desire.
Botero describes that in the field of radiation, technology has also transformed enormously, including stereostatic body therapy (SBRT) “which allows us to eradicate the tumor by administering high doses of radiation with extreme precision. These advances in technology have also allowed us to significantly reduce the number of treatments, from several weeks to three weeks, if we treat the entire breast, a day and a half when we only irradiate the cavity from which the tumor was removed, or even one day. of treatment when administered intraoperatively,” he explains.
Thus, the days of treatment are reduced, they are much more localized and have fewer side effects.
“About 15-20 years ago, the curability rate was 60%, whereas today we are reaching 90%. All these mentioned advances represent a significant change in science and in the benefits for patients”, concludes the doctor from the Miami Cancer Institute.
