He mom cancer It is the leading cause of mortality among women, according to the UN. Every year, more than two million women around the world are diagnosed. Experts emphasize the importance of early detection, since if the disease is caught on time, the survival rate exceeds 90%.
(Breast cancer is many things, but no, “breast cancer is not pink”)
The most effective method to detect breast cancer as soon as possible is to have a mammogram every two years. The age at which the first mammogram should be performed varies depending on the gynecologist’s criteria.
Many of them consider that the first one should be done at 35 years of age, but normally, and unless there is a family history or other risk factors, they don’t usually start doing it until 45-50. According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), it is 50 years when the incidence shoots up of the illness.
On the other hand, approximately 10% of breast cancers are diagnosed in people under 40 years of age, so it is increasingly common for women to go earlier to have their first mammogram. It is also essential that women learn to explore themselves to realize the changes that are taking place in their breasts.
Fortunately, important advances have been made in the treatment of breast cancer and the survival rate is increasing. Among these advances is the device created by Josefa Cortés, a young Chilean designer who has created feela sponge that facilitates the detection of breast cancer.
Josefa became interested in breast cancer through a close case. A friend of hers noticed something strange in her chest, but, at the time, she brushed it off and thought it was an accumulation of fat. When she went to the doctor years later for a routine checkup, she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer.
Her friend managed to get over it, but it was a very difficult path, since the disease was very developed. Based on this experience, Josefa decided to get down to work and develop a device that would teach women to examine their breasts to distinguish if there is any anomaly, and also get them to self-exploration became routine.
feel helps to train the technique to examine yourself in the shower. The device works like a sponge that is filled with shower gel. Inside it is a false malignant tumor, a hard and immovable mass of 1.5 centimeters. By using the sponge, the woman palpates the simulated tumor, which helps her learn to identify them, something that is not always easy.
As you palpate the anomaly, the gel is expelled by the sponge and can be used to soap yourself, facilitating subsequent recognition. The gel is applied to the entire body and the woman can self-examine knowing much more about the anomaly.
The objective of the invention, in addition to helping to detect tumors, is Create a habit of self-exploration. Although it is true that self-examination will never replace any medical examination, the better we know our body and how a tumor can be, the sooner we will go to a consultation to solve the problem.
More than 70,000 women have already tried the device, which has been chosen as a finalist for the Fundación Mapfre Awards for Social Innovation in the E-health category. A revolutionary invention that, to this day and according to the data known to its creator, has already helped to detect at least a dozen tumors.
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